The Challenges We Face
by The Endless Hourglass
Summary: Evil, light, power, weakness, snow, sun, night, day. So many things to write about. We are the stories of cats around the wold. We are the stories of heart-break, and excitement, love and sorrow. We are challenging to write, but we are fun to read. ; This is where I put all my Warriors Challenges so my profile isn't a mile long.
1. A Lost Cause

_When all is lost _Challenge from Waterstar03 | Warriors Challenge forum was created by Misgiving, and this Challenge was created by Waterstar. I was only given the main character's name. Thanks! =)

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"_Flamepaw isn't as strong as the other apprentices, Cloudstar." _

"_He can't fight at all!"_

"_He's too small! Even a kittypet could fight better than him!" _

Flamedrop sighed as these voices continued to stick to his memory, making the situation he was already in worse, if that was even possible. When he was a kit and an apprentice, he'd ignored these cats, hoping to one day show them that he was just as strong as they were. To show them that even though he was small, he could fight off anything. Even as a warrior when he actually understood what his weakness meant for the clan did he strive to prove himself.

But not anymore.

Since that day down by the large river, Flamedrop had actually realized how true all of those voices were. He wasn't even close to being strong enough to fight off the large dog. Flamedrop was half it's size at most, so at camp no one blamed him, but he did. He knew better than to blame it on something else. This time it was actually his fault.

So as he sat by the ever flowing river on the large boulder that was slick with water, Flamedrop thought of only how he should rid himself of the painful memory as well as the deadly sin he'd committed two moons ago. He thought of nothing but an alternative he'd rather never think about. But it was the only option. . .

It wasn't raining like Flamedrop thought it was. In fact the sun was shining brilliantly on the mid-spring morning. Most of the kits would be playing right now, and the elders would be sunning themselves while they got the chance. If it were a normal day, Flamedrop would be hunting with Iceflower, a she-cat whom he'd been friends with for some time.

But today was not a normal day. Heck, it had not been normal for two moons. Ever since the accident, Flamedrop had been here. Right by the river where his sister died under the clutches of both a dog, and a frozen river. Such a painful death that had been his all his fault.

"Flamedrop, you've been sitting there all night," said a sweet familiar voice that had crept into his ears and through his thoughts so that he could actually register it. He didn't look around to greet Iceflower, though. He just wasn't in the mood. "Is it that hard to come down and hunt with me?"

"Go away," Flamedrop muttered, his eyes staring off into the distant meadow across the river where they would usually be hunting at this time. "I don't want to hunt." There was movement behind him, and though he tried to retreat back into his thoughts, curiosity got the best of him.

Iceflower's long white fur was flickering as the breeze blew past her, and the sun made her amber eyes sparkle with such perfection that made Flamedrop smile, if only slightly. This sight made Flamedrop remember when how he had met Iceflower so many moons ago.

It was in the meadow they were both looking at. Just six moons ago. The sunflowers and daisies were swaying in the warm breeze as the green-leaf sun was shining over them. It was such a beautiful day to tour the territory of MeadowClan, seeing as Flamedrop had just been named an apprentice. Iceflower, also an apprentice, had been hunting there with her mentor when she saw Flamedrop and his sister coming by. His sister had been really eager to see Iceflower, and they'd gotten along so well together.

This memory just reminded Flamedrop of his sister, so he pushed the memory away, and awaited the lecture he was sure to receive from Iceflower, who had turned her gaze to him after realizing what he must have been thinking of. After a few moments of silence, she sighed, a sad look in her eyes as she remembered that same day.

"I know how hard it was when you lost your sister, but you can't just waste your life away thinking about it," Iceflower told him. "Daisypetal would have wanted you to move on and become a strong warrior."

"But that's the problem," Flamedrop murmured. "I-I'm not strong at all." Iceflower rolled her eyes with an irritated sigh, making Flamedrop wish he'd never even said the words. He just lengthened the conversation, meaning he was probably not going to have any more peace and quiet, which was something he'd been craving for the past two moons.

"That's not true," Iceflower muttered. Flamedrop jerked his head around to face the pretty white she-cat, his eyes narrowed with anger.

"But it is!" Flamedrop hissed. "Cloudstar, Jaggedstripe, Snaketail—all of them! They all think that I'm too weak, too small, and too immature to do anything! Face it, Iceflower. It's because of my size that Daisypetal died, and it's because my weakness that I couldn't fight off the dog. It's all my fault!" Iceflower's amber eyes narrowed with irritation, and her white fur bristled with anger.

"You only think it's your fault because you need to blame somebody!" Iceflower growled. "You're driving yourself crazy because all you can think about is how weak you were when the time came to save her! Flamedrop, that dog would have killed anybody, including you! Why do you have to beat yourself up over this?" Flamedrop looked away from Iceflower as the memory was once again brought out into the open.

He knew the answer to her question, but no matter what she said, he wouldn't answer. Flamedrop wasn't going to let the memory go because it was simply the last he had of Daisypetal, and he wanted to keep it forever. Unfortunately, that memory just reminded him that it was his fault she was dead, and then he'd blame himself, which would bring back the memory once again. A never-ending cycle he didn't want to stop.

"Before you continue blaming yourself, just start thinking of what life is really about," Iceflower muttered, the anger still covering her angel-like voice. "Until then just stay up here like a boring elder awaiting his death, for you are no use to the clan in this state." In that quick movement, the white she-cat turned herself around, jumped off of the rock, and walked away without another word.

_Think of what life is really about? _Flamedrop thought to himself. _How? How can I do that when all I can think of is Daisypetal? It just reminds me that it was all my fault. _Even though this was his final thought on the matter, he continued to bring out the happy memories from when he was younger.

The first memory that came to mind was the first time Flamedrop had caught a mouse. It was still green-leaf, but just barely, so the prey was even harder to catch. He'd run away from his mentor because she had been trying to make him 'take it easy' in battle training seeing as Daisypetal was twice his size. But he didn't want to be protected. He wanted to be strong.

So it felt as if he'd killed a fox as he proudly picked up his mouse, and though Flamedrop knew he would be getting in trouble, he didn't care. That was when Daisypetal showed up and though just an apprentice, he'd guess she was just as tall as a newly named warrior.

When Flamedrop saw her, his eyes instantly narrowed, angry that she had the nerve to tell him to go back. They had waited in silence for a long time before Daisypetal finally spoke up, talking of how mouse-brained his mentor was. This surprised Flamedrop, because most of the time his sister was more like a medicine cat apprentice in that she never wanted to hurt a fly. Seeing her talk bad about his mentor actually made him feel a lot better.

After he replayed the memory in his head again, his brain automaticly switched over to the most recent memory of Daisypetal, making him think of that snowy day near the river where that large dog came out and killed his sister. Flamedrop winced at the memory that reminded him of his sin.

Finally, after an agonizing ten minutes, Flamedrop shook his head and forced himself to think of something else. The memory of his first gathering came up, making him curious. It had been a warm late green-leaf night where the stars were shining brilliantly the sky.

This was where Flamedrop had met Otterpaw of LakeClan. They had talked for a long time before Daisypetal joined in, and in that time he found that the he and apprentice had a lot in common. But Daisypetal had begun to get jealous, and so she scared Otterpaw off. He never again did see the cheerful LakeClan apprentice after that, but he wasn't angry at his sister at all, for he knew she was just trying to protect their relationship.

But just as last time, after the memory stopped, Flamedrop thought of the day of her death once again, forcing the large knot in his throat to tighten. But he didn't cry, for he wanted to be strong. He wanted to show no weakness to those around him.

_But who's around me? _Flamedrop thought, frowning just slightly as he began to think of his actions from the past two moons. _Everyone has left me alone these past few moons, and though some have tried to comfort me I just order them away. So why am I forcing myself not to cry? _As Flamedrop thought of the question, another memory turned up into his head.

It was when they were elder apprentices, and they had both just witnessed the death of a very close friend. They were the first ones to reach Ivypaw's cold body, and after they sent their good-byes to StarClan where their friend would rest, Daisypetal had started to cry. Flamedrop stood up and had led her toward the apprentice's den where the tears continued to roll down her face. "Don't cry," Flamedrop had told her in a calm voice as he tried to hide his own grief. "I'm right here."

Ever since that day he'd promised himself not to cry, for Daisypetal needed him. But now she didn't, because StarClan was the one protecting her. Flamedrop realized that he was allowed to cry, but stopped himself just as the first tear was about to make it's way down his cheek. He forced himself to stop as he figured out that he still couldn't cry, for that would just worry Daisypetal, no matter if she was in StarClan or not.

The memory of her death played in his mind once again, giving Flamedrop the urge to scream. He was yelling at StarClan within his own mind, asking them why it had to be her. Asking them why it couldn't have been him that the dog grabbed just before it fell into the frozen river. It would have made things a lot easier.

Iceflower's last words to him rung in his head: "_You are no use to this clan in this state_." Flamedrop sighed as he realized how true that was. Being a sad depressed warrior on the verge of suicide wasn't helping MeadowClan at all, but he couldn't think of anything else to do. Daisypetal was the only cat he had left to think about, and she was dead.

But then Iceflower's previous words suddenly came back to his ears. _"Why do you have to keep beating yourself up over this?" _The answer was easy, but Flamedrop was now aware of what the white she-cat was really asking: _"Why are you killing yourself over your sister when you have me?" _

In this new realization, Flamedrop felt the knot in his throat tighten even harder, almost choking him. Iceflower had been his friend since they met, and that's all he thought of her. Until now. He noticed how she'd just looked at him when those words were spoken. She was pleading for the real him to return home. But the only thing Flamedrop could think of was why.

Then he remembered that day after he'd become a warrior. Iceflower, who was also a warrior, had come up to him and congratulated him, but only received a quick 'thanks' in return. Iceflower had frowned before sulking away, and when Flamedrop had tried to comfort her later on that day, she had just walked off with a huff, unable to look back.

Flamedrop realized the betrayed look in her eyes when she'd run off. It was also a look of love. This brought back so many memories when Iceflower had hinted her love for him, and he'd just gone back to Daisypetal. Flamedrop wasn't brought back to the memory of his sister's death. Instead he went back to the memory of just a few moments ago when Iceflower had spoken to him.

"_Before you go blaming yourself again, think of what life is really about." _Flamedrop understood what she'd meant now. Iceflower had been trying to make him think of what he had to live for, which was next to nothing. But Iceflower was someone that Flamedrop had always wanted to protect, though not as much as his sister. Still, Iceflower's reminder made him realize just what he needed to feel in order to move on.

Now the question was, could he?

The answer he finally gave? No.

How could he move on? Flamedrop was no longer considering himself a warrior or an apprentice. He wasn't even considering himself to be a kit. He was a loner now, because no matter how hard he would try, there was no way he'd be strong enough for the clan. He was just an extra mouth to feed.

Then he remembered the death once again.

It was a very cold day, and though Daisypetal had been trying to hunt, he wasn't. Flamedrop had found no point, seeing as it was leaf-bare and there was no prey left. It was too cold to hunt anyway, and the blizzard around them was too powerful. He just wanted to go home. Daisypetal had insisted on catching something, so like always, he went along with her.

When they reached the river and found that it was frozen, they sighed and stared at it for a few moments, silently praying that the storm would stop. But after a few moments, they had finally given up. So they turned around and made their way back to camp, which was further away than Flamedrop would have liked.

About half way there, he had noticed a growling noise that Daisypetal had looked past, too busy talking about something that Flamedrop had ignored because of the threat that seemed to have an advantage over them. His sister didn't notice that something was wrong until it was too late.

The large fluffy black dog ran from the bushes, attacking Daisypetal as Flamedrop watched in horror. He had immediately attacked the dog, only to be thrown off seconds later. Flamedrop kept trying, though with each second, his sister was dying as the dog shook her as it's large teeth continued to sink further into her fragile body.

Finally getting angry enough to be stronger, Flamedrop had lunged toward the dog with narrowed eyes. He'd given the black dog a large gash on it's shoulder, but that was all. The dog noticed Flamedrop after a few moments of complete silence, and then grabbed his small body with it's sharp teeth and threw him into a near by tree.

Flamedrop had found himself in darkness moments later after he hit the tree, but he was only unconscious for a few moments. When he opened his eyes he saw the dog take off toward the frozen river with his bloody sister in it's jaws. The feeling of panic overpowered him, but Flamedrop forced himself to run to his sister's rescue.

The dog was too fast for him though. By the time Flamedrop reached the river, the only thing he could see was the cracked ice smeared with blood as two dark figures struggled to find their way back to the surface, only to find that they were trapped under the ice.

Suddenly Flamedrop felt the sensation of being choked with grief. The knot in his throat continued to get tighter and tighter until he could no longer breath, and suddenly he got colder. Flamedrop was confused, even more as he felt rocks beneath him. In the memory there was nothing but snow, so why would he be feeling pebbles beneath him?

Flamedrop abruptly opened his eyes to reality, finding that he wasn't on the rock by the river anymore. He was _in _the river. Though it was new-leaf, the river was still cold, and judging by the pebbles he was scrapping his paws on, he was at the very bottom of the river, unable to breath as the water swallowed him.

As Flamedrop's instincts immediately screamed at him to return to the surface, he stopped himself. He didn't find it a coincidence that he was drowning. Instead he found it as a sign from StarClan that it was just his time to die. It was also Flamedrop's time to show StarClan that he was good. It was his time to show StarClan that he knew what he'd done.

So as his remaining breaths of oxygen leaked out of him, he prayed to StarClan that this would be enough to ask them for forgiveness. But just as Flamedrop thought it was all going to be over, someone grabbed his scruff, pulling him out of the pebbles that he held on to.

At first Flamedrop refused to move, but after a few moments, his body gave in, no longer having that bit of strength to hold on. The cat who was trying to save Flamedrop pulled him up to the surface, which wasn't that hard since everyone in MeadowClan knew how to swim brilliantly. Then in just two seconds, he was in the meadow on the other side of the river, breathing heavily as his lungs automaticly called for air.

"Flamedrop?" asked the cat beside him. "Flamedrop, are you okay? Flamedrop!" A white blur pushed him to his senses as he coughed up the water in which had filled his lungs. After that the cat sighed with relief, a certain feminine edge to it that sounded familiar.

"Are you mouse-brained?" the cat asked him as he stared at the ground. "You're soaked! Do you have any idea how worried I was?" Flamedrop lowered his head as he realized just who was talking to him and how much she knew. It was Iceflower.

"I-I'm s-sorry. . ." Flamedrop murmured, though it was quiet because of how much he'd made his body work just a few moments ago. "I-I just. . .fell. . ." Iceflower growled lowly with anger, taking his words as an insult.

"Do you think I'm stupid?" Iceflower snapped. "You tried to drown yourself on purpose! Do you think that would do our clan any good? Do you think that would do _you _any good?" Flamedrop stayed silent, knowing that he was in no position to answer the questions.

"We need to get you to Mudroot," Iceflower said after a few moments, trying to help Flamedrop to his feet. "I'll need help getting you dry, because right now you'll just catch a cold." Flamedrop tried to get up, but he couldn't. Literally, he couldn't. His body wouldn't move when he told it to. It just stayed still, leaving Iceflower to panic.

Flamedrop's ears blurred out the sounds of Iceflower's screams for help as his vision turned to complete and utter darkness. His breathing slowed down, and soon, he was nothing but a lifeless figure of ginger fur. In a few moments, he couldn't hear, feel, smell, or see anything.

Just as Flamedrop was about to think he was going to the Dark Forest, a figure appeared in front of him, lighting up the lush forest around him. The figure was starry and ghost-like, as if attempting to hide the cat's real fur color. But the eyes gave everything away. Flamedrop would recognize those eyes anywhere.

"Hello, Flamedrop,"

It was Daisypetal.

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**A/N: I do not own warriors.**

**Not my best peice of work, trust me, but it's okay I guess. =)**


	2. All Because of You

_What's In a Name? _Challenge by Waterstar03 | Warriors Challenge Forum belongs to Misgiving Writer | I was only given the clan name.

The water beneath his paw pads was smooth a salty, same as the soft sand that his paws sunk into. Such a warm beautiful day on the beach where the kits played happily in the tide's gentle waters. Their mothers were telling them not to go far, but the kits didn't listen. They were aware of how dangerous it was, of course. Everyone was told at a young age of a few cats who had strayed too far toward the water.

Venomvine was only two moons old when he was told, and that was right after he'd opened his eyes. At first he'd been too scared to go into the water, but here was, a warrior, just wondering what was beyond the endless blue ocean that kept them trapped on the large island.

Venomvine sighed before looking to his apprentice, who was playing happily with the younger kits in the cool tide. Palmpaw was a long haired light brown she-cat who had too much energy for her own good, and he was told that her eagerness to do things was the reason he was chosen as her mentor. Even now, six moons later, he still didn't understand why he needed an annoying apprentice like her.

"Palmpaw!" Venomvine called to his happy apprentice. "We must hunt before the sun sets over the horizon! You know how hard it is hunting in the dark!" Palmpaw turned to look at him, a frown forming her face after her grin had vanished.

"But I'm having so much fun!" Palmpaw told him, her long fur flickering in the cool coast wind. "Can't we stay for just a bit longer?" Venomvine sighed. This was why he didn't like his apprentice. No matter what he said to her, she'd always protest, having better things to do.

"Fine!" Venomvine called back in a voice of boredom. "I'll go hunt now and you can hunt later when the bats are out!" This made Palmpaw flinch. Bats in the jungle were a constant threat, though they mostly stayed in the caves during the day. A few would come out, but they wouldn't attack. They knew that cats were very hard to catch off guard.

Palmpaw hurried over to him, shaking a bit as Venomvine chuckled. He always knew how to control his apprentice, even when she was being the most stubborn cat in the world. Palmpaw didn't mind, but she would always complain later, which would mean an annoying conversation with his apprentice's mother afterword.

Venomvine walked toward the jungle after that, pulling his legs out of the soft sand as it sunk underneath him. It wasn't sinking sand, but because of how much there was, every cat always had hard time getting through it. But swimming in the ocean was worth it.

Venomvine took a breath in as he entered the jungle. The familiar scents of ferns and bushes entered his mouth, making him sigh with relief. It was so nice to live in the jungle because even though it was difficult, it was soothing. There was never any disturbances from the twolegs, and the ocean kept everything calm.

"Let's get started before the bats come out!" Palmpaw said, and though there was a glint of fear in her eyes, it was mostly just excitement. Venomvine had to sprint toward her after she darted off, aware of how dangerous it could be if she just continued running. After stopping her, Venomvine just shook his head.

"Today I want you to catch a mouse, a water vole, and a lizard," Venomvine told her, making her tilt her head with confusion. "If you catch them, I'll talk to Snakestar about making you a warrior." Palmpaw nodded with eagerness before giving him a small smirk.

"Well, if I have to catch those animals, you have to catch two fish, a lizard, and a frog." said Palmpaw, standing proudly as she watched Venomvine raise his eye brows. Palmpaw always loved competition because she always won. Venomvine hated hunting. He was a better fighter.

"Okay, fine," said Venomvine, smirking at his apprentice. "But if you don't catch one of your things, you have to hunt alone for three days in the morning with me assessing you. I say alone because you won't know when I'm there or when I'm not." Palmpaw's eyes brightened up with eagerness as the competition came into view.

"So if I catch everything, you'll talk to Snakestar about my warrior name, but if I don't, I'm going to have three assessments in a row?" asked Palmpaw. Venomvine nodded before the elder apprentice clawed at the ground in excitement. "Okay, let's see. . .Ah-ha! If you catch all of the things I told you to catch, I'll say something good about you in front of Rainpetal, but if you don't catch everything I listed, I'll tell her you snore and fart in your sleep!"

"Hey!" said Venomvine. "If you lose, all you get is an assessment, while if I lose, you get to embarrass me? That's not fair!" Palmpaw giggled before running off, her long fur having no effect on her whatsoever as she pushed through the wind.

"Life isn't fair, Venomvine!" she called over her shoulder. The annoying apprentice quickly disappeared from his sight, leaving him to remember that the jungle was dangerous and that she was only an apprentice. But then Venomvine reminded himself that she was nearly a warrior.

After a few moments of deciding where to go, Venomvine made his way deeper into the jungle. The moss was thick this new-leaf, and the coconut trees were full of those large balls of milk. Sometimes, if one fell and cracked open, they would eat it while they hunted, so that they wouldn't get hungry.

As Venomvine continued to look for the river in which he would need to catch a frog and a fish. Sometimes lizards were out on the rocks too, so Venomvine hoped that he wouldn't have to go too far. Of course, water was everywhere in the jungle. There were many streams and plenty of rivers. Even though it was an island, it was big enough to be home to many clans.

Venomvine slowed down as he came to a small stream of many rocks. The dry rocks in which had sun beating on them was where most of the lizards were, so the smart warrior was going to wait to see if he could catch any. Only a few cats were lucky to catch a lizard, because even though they were easy to stalk, they were hard to catch if they caught your scent.

Suddenly he heard rustling on the rocks in front of him. Venomvine immediately looked over to the dark colored rocks and tried to make out the figure of the lizard. Finally he found the small silver reptile scuttling across the rocks, trying to get away from the enemy before him. Venomvine lunged forward to grab it underneath his claws, but he missed.

Quickly thinking, Venomvine lunged again, over calculating it in case the lizard was faster than he thought. In a wave of relief, the warrior felt the rough scales of the lizard in his paws and though it struggled to get away, Venomvine held it tightly, trying not to unsheathe his claws. If he did that, the lizard would be too torn up to eat.

So with a single bite, the small reptile was dead, cold beneath his paws. Venomvine smiled at his success before digging a fairly large hole. He set his lizard in the hole before digging it back up and searching for a river so that he could catch his frog and fish.

By the time Venomvine had caught all of his prey, Palmpaw was already waiting for him near the camp entrance. Just as he'd thought, a water vole, mouse, and lizard lay at her paws, and she didn't seem tired at all. Venomvine dropped his catches at his her paws, making her sigh.

"Darn," said Palmpaw with a disappointed look in her eye. "I was looking forward to telling Rainpetal about your sleeping habits." Venomvine rolled his eyes, knowing full well that she knew he didn't have those sleeping habits at all.

"Well, you don't get to do anything because catching that prey was hard," Venomvine told her, lifting his head high with pride. "The lizard tried to run from me, but I caught it quickly. The fish were easy because of how full the river's been lately, but that stupid frog kept jumping away. I caught it eventually though. What about you?" Palmpaw shrugged, still disappointed that he caught his prey.

"The water vole was easy, though the mouse was not. You know how hard it is to find one these days?" asked Palmpaw. "Anyways, the lizard wasn't easy, but it wasn't hard either. Looks like we didn't make a good enough competition." Venomvine laughed.

"Looks like it." he answered before picking up his prey and making his way toward the camp entrance. It was right by the beach next to the Small Stones, which was a fancy word for small mountains. It was where most of the bats stayed, but their camp was well protected from those threats.

Venomevine carefully made his way down the stone tunnel that would eventually lead to the camp. It was difficult to move around in, but it kept the larger predator animals out, so WaveClan accepted that. Venomvine just wished he hadn't caught so many things, because the tunnel was making it difficult to carry everything.

Eventually the tunnel let out into a stony area in which they could see a large cave in front of them. But before they could get to that cave, they had to wait for the tide to pull back. If they went while it was crashing into the cavern, they'd either be slammed into the rocky wall, or drug down into the dark depths of the ocean never to return.

But the cats of WaveClan were past that part. They were all taught at an early age how to time their leap over the small gap so that they wouldn't go thinking that they could just jump over when they were kits. Venomvine remembered learning, and though he got it quickly because of his agile body, his siblings did not.

So just as the tide went back into the ocean, Venomvine leaped as Palmpaw did the same. They landed with their prey in their jaws on the other side. Both of them walked over to the large fresh-kill pile and dropped their prey on it. Apparently the hunting patrol just returned.

"Well, as promised, I'll go say something nice about you in front of Rainpetal," said Palmpaw, smiling widely. Venomvine nodded with agreement.

"And I shall go talk to Snakestar about your warrior name," Venomvine told her, a smile also on his face. "See you later." And with that, the brown warrior made his way to the leaders den, which was at the far side of the camp. Venomvine had been in there often, seeing as Snakestar was his father, but he hated it nonetheless because of the chilliness the cave brought him.

When Venomvine entered the den, he could smell his father's scent in the back of the cave in which a massive gray tom lay sleeping soundly. As he took a step forward, the leader awoke with a start, recognizing the scent immediately.

"Venomvine, what a coincidence," said Snakestar, standing up as he greeted his son. "I was just about to go out and meet you. You know, to ask you if you think Palmpaw is ready to become a warrior yet." Venomvine nodded without thinking of a good explanation, so as he stumbled for words, he smiled.

"She's been doing really well on her hunting," said Venomvine quickly. "She caught a lizard, a water vole, and a mouse just this afternoon. In fact, we just got back, and I came to ask you if you could hold her warrior ceremony today." Snakestar smiled before giving a quick nod.

"Well okay then," said the large leader. "I'll be out in a bit, I've just got to wake up first." Venomvine nodded in understanding before walking out of this father's den and back into camp where there seemed to be a lot of commotion. Venomvine didn't pay attention, instead he turned toward the high ledge where Snakestar stood.

"All cats old enough to jump the Ocean River, gather here beneath the high ledge!" Snakestar yowled, getting the other cats attention. The Ocean River was the water Venomvine had to leap over to get into camp, and because you needed to be an apprentice to learn how to jump it, kits weren't allowed at these clan meetings.

As all of the cats gathered, Venomvine sneaked a look at Palmpaw, who winked at him, though smiled with happiness. She was obviously excited, for she could not stand still and was even more jittery than usual. Many cats sent looks her way, for they knew she was due to get her warrior name.

Palmpaw's mother even came over and started grooming her, though that didn't go over well with the light brown apprentice for she was just too hyper to stand still and have her mother groom her. Venomvine had to admit, when he was given his warrior name, he was just as excited, though maybe a little less because he was the mature one of his family.

"WaveClan, today is a special day," Snakestar started, calling everyone to his attention as the clan sat near the high ledge, looking up to the large leader. "Palmpaw, step forward." The long haired apprentice stepped forward in only two seconds.

"I, Snakestar of WaveClan, call upon my warrior ancestors to look down on this apprentice. She has trained hard to understand the ways of your noble code, and I commend her to you as a warrior in her turn." Snakestar began before pausing to look to Palmpaw. "Palmpaw, do you promise to uphold the warrior code and to protect and defend your clan, even at the cost of your life?" Palmpaw nodded eagerly.

"I do!" she said, louder than she should have if she wanted to do this formally.

"The by the powers of StarClan, I give you your warrior name. Palmpaw, from this day on, you shall be known as Palmfur. StarClan honers your agility and eagerness to help your clan, and we welcome you as a full warrior of WaveClan." The clan then began cheering on Palmfur, who blushed, but still jumped around at everyone who said her name.

"Palmfur! Palmfur! Palmfur!" Venomvine cheered, happy to finally have finished mentoring Palmfur. He didn't hate her, he was just happy that she was finally a warrior, something she'd been dreaming about.

Suddenly, Palmfur pushed through the crowd to reach him before he noticed that Rainpetal was right behind her. Venomvine stood up straighter, having no idea what to say to the cat he'd had a crush on since they were apprentices. Palmfur seemed to like the fact that he was clueless, but helped him nonetheless.

"Venomvine caught two fish, a lizard, and frog today!" said Palmfur, rolling her eyes as Rainpetal looked amazed. "He saved the two fish especially for you two to eat together, so I suggest you eat it now before someone takes it!" Palmfur darted off after that, seeming to understand that her job was done.

Venomvine stared at Rainpetal in complete silence. Not only had he not been ready for the whole 'eat together' part, he hadn't even groomed himself since his last hunt, which meant he was a bit muddy near his paws. Rainpetal laughed as he blushed. She was obviously enjoying the silent conversation.

"So, should we eat?" she asked.

"I say these words before Starclan, that the spirits of our ancestors my hear and approve of my choice. The new deputy of WaveClan is Venomvine!"

"Venomvine! Venomvine!" the crowd cheered, Palmfur cheering the loudest as she yowled the words aloud. Venomvine smiled as he remembered mentoring the light brown she-cat, and how he'd gotten Rainpetal to talk to him. It was because of her that he had a mate now, and that he was also a deputy.

As everyone congratulated him, Venomvine moved closer and closer to Palmfur, who waited patiently for him to get to her. After several minutes of saying 'thank you' and 'I'm so excited', Venomvine finally reached his former apprentice. He smiled to her as they faced each other.

"Finally deputy, eh?" asked Palmfur, grinning widely. "After six months of getting away from me, you've finally done it. Congrats." Venomvine just rolled his eyes, the brotherly sisterly relationship showing up again.

"It was because of you that I become deputy in the first place," Venomvine told her. "And if you hadn't told Rainpetal about me, she would have never become mates with me, and she wouldn't be expecting my kits. It's all because of you." Palmfur nodded.

"And be proud of that, or I'll have to make another bet with you." said Palmfur.

"Bring it on," said Venomvine.

**A/N: I do not own warriors.**

**I like this one. But probably because I like it, you'll hate it. Wonderful. XD =)**


	3. Death After Death

_Have You Heard My Side of the Story _Challenge by Striker in the night | The Warrior Challenge Forum was created by Misgiving Writer. I was given nothing but a short drabble and every name but Shadepelt and Frogkit. Those names are mine. XD Enjoy!

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Badgerclaw waited patiently in the territory of his previous clan. The marsh beneath his paws was spongier than he'd remembered, and the grass that surrounded the reeds that sprouted up out of the ground was greener than when he saw it last. It had been a long time since Badgerclaw had set foot on this part of the forest, and though he tried to push the memories back, he couldn't help but remember his times as an apprentice, training and hunting in this very spot.

As the black tom noticed the wind picking up speed, his eyes caught a dark figure walking toward him with a small bundle of fur in it's jaws. Badgerclaw eagerly recognized the scent of Shadepelt, a cat whom he'd befriended after being exiled. Both outcasts, creating a reason to become ally's.

The kit that was held in Shadepelt's mouth squealed slightly. It had just opened it's eyes it seemed, and though small and helpless, Badgerclaw was determined to get revenge, no matter how much he would regret it later. The only thing that would make this better would be Featherpaw's arrival. That way she could watch her kit bleed to death in front of her.

"Did anything go wrong?" asked Badgerclaw as Shadepelt dropped the kit in front of him. The dark warrior just shook his head, unable to speak as always. He was necessarily incapable of talking, but after ten moons of knowing the exiled warrior, Badgerclaw had never heard Shadepelt's voice.

The dark tom shook his head, his dark blue eyes answering everything. Badgerclaw nodded in satisfaction before turning to the kit, grinning with a wicked look in his eye as he studied the small brown tom that looked barely a half moon old.

"So young, so innocent," said Badgerclaw, a bit of sorrow in his voice. "Too bad your mother is a lying murderer. You might have lived to be a good warrior, had it not been for your parents. So sad. . ." Badgerclaw signaled for Shadepelt to move before he got into a fighting position.

Just as he was about to attack the tiny kit, a scream came from the distance, interrupting his plan for revenge. If it had been a normal WindClan cat, Badgerclaw would have continued, but that scream came from Featherpaw. He would have known it anywhere.

Badgerclaw stood with an annoyed look on his face. A tall gray she-cat ran up to them, the white tip on her tail flicking slightly as she turned her worried gaze from her kit to Badgerclaw. Featherpaw's eyes widened with fear and shock, and though he knew Shadepelt had his back, he tensed in case she tried to attack.

"Badgerclaw!" Featherpaw gasped, her body shaking with fright. "I thought you were dead! Gone at least! Why have you come back? Why have you stolen my kit." Badgerclaw narrowed his amber eyes as his tail lashed once. Featherpaw knew exactly what he was doing, and there would be nothing she could do to stop it.

"Isn't it obvious?" Badgerclaw hissed. "I'm killing your kit, Featherpaw. I'm—"

"My name is Feathersoul!" she spat as her fur bristled with hostilty. "And I don't care what happened in the past! Give me back my kit!" Her claws were unsheathed as her yellow eyes gave away her sadness. She was obviously thinking of the past as well.

"No," Badgerclaw growled. "I am going to kill him to get revenge on what you did, Feathersoul. I'm going to force you feel the pain that I did when you framed me." Feathersoul's eyes narrowed tighter, though the fear grew. She was thinking it seemed, trying to figure out away to spare her son's life.

"Kill me instead!" Feathersoul screamed, the determination in her eyes overpowering the fear. "Let Frogkit go and kill me. Please! Please. . .don't kill him. . .he doesn't deserve it." Badgerclaw stared down at the she-cat who was once his friend. He knew of how much he'd love to kill her, but there was something deep within him that still had feelings for her. But he couldn't tell her that.

"You wouldn't be punished that way," Badgerclaw growled, his scowl masking his sorrow. "You would just die if I were to kill you, where if I kill your kit, you will suffer from grief, the same way I did when you killed my sister and pushed the blame onto me." Feathersoul started crying, her legs shaking as she struggled to keep standing.

"It wasn't my fault!" Feathersoul yelled, tears now streaming down her face as her eyes clouded with emotion. "I-I had to kill her! She deserved it!" Badgerclaw leaped over the kit and onto Feathersoul, his eyes narrowed with anger as his claws sunk into the soft silver fur.

"My sister didn't deserve anything that you did to her!" Badgerclaw hissed. "She was as innocent as you were until you soaked your paws with her blood! You're just a murderer who lets others take the blame! A liar who thinks she can get away with being the sweet little kit she always was!" Feathersoul continued crying, giving into Badgerclaw's strength as her emotions took over.

"She killed my father!" Feathersoul cried. "How else was I supposed to react? She killed the only family I had left! And for that she needed to pay! She deserved it!" Badgerclaw dug his claws even deeper, hearing her screams with a look of both anger, and sorrow.

"Your father was a rogue who attempted to kill Nightstar!" Badgerclaw hissed. "And my sister didn't just kill him! She was forced to! He attacked her, and he wouldn't stop until he was dead! And I don't care how innocent you think that mouse-brain was, he was evil!" Feathersoul gave a defiant yowl, her claws raking a large scratch down Badgerclaw's chest before he restrained her.

"Waterlily needed to die!" Feathersoul screamed. Badgerclaw raised his paw to attack, but stopped once he realized how foolish killing her would be. He looked up to Shadepelt who nodded before walking over and kept Feathersoul on the ground.

As Badgerclaw stepped off of the silver she-cat, he looked into her yellow eyes, finding nothing but anger, fear, and shock. Feathersoul was blinded by love, something Badgerclaw would never trust himself with again. He'd found that love was nothing but a promise that would always break.

Badgerclaw looked to the small squealing kit covered in mud as it flailed around like a fish out of water on the marsh. He didn't want to kill anyone, not even Feathersoul, but he wanted revenge. Badgerclaw believed himself to be a good cat, for when he was younger, he'd actually wanted to become a medicine cat, though one of the older kits got to the position first. Point was, the one thing he'd never wanted to do in his life was kill.

"_Hey, do any of you know where Waterlily is?" asked Badgerclaw, talking to an apprentice friend of his. "Frostclaw wanted me to tell her that she was on a border patrol." The elder apprentice just blinked a couple of times before flicking his tail toward the camp entrance. _

"_She headed out with Featherpaw a few moments ago," said the apprentice. "Congrats on becoming a warrior, by the way. It must feel so wonderful." Badgerclaw nodded before padding out of camp, his nose breathing in the familiar scents of the marsh beneath him. _

_After a few minutes of traveling, Badgerclaw saw two figures in the distance. Reckoning that it was Waterlily and Featherpaw, the black warrior sped up his pace to reach his sister and friend faster. As he got closer, he found that the two cats were fighting violently until one fell. In a wave of shock, Badgerclaw broke into a run, stopping as he saw his bloody sister lying motionless on the ground. _

_Featherpaw was breathing heavily as she stared down at his sister. Badgerclaw stood in complete silence as he tried to accept the fact that his sister was dead and Featherpaw was the killer. The silence lasted many moments, and with each one Badgerclaw felt as if a moon had gone by. _

"_You killed her. . ." Badgerclaw finally said, making the small gray apprentice flinch. "You killed her!" His amber eyes narrowed with fury and grief as Featherpaw got into a fighting position. _

"_I'll do it to you, too!" Featherpaw hissed, grief shadowing her pretty yellow eyes. Badgerclaw didn't make a hostile move, though. His mind was too confused to do so. Featherpaw ran off after a few moments, and Badgerclaw just assumed it was because she was afraid of being accused. _

_The black warrior just sat by his sister after a few moments, crying as he tried to lick her wounds clean. But as he did so, the wounds continued to ooze out blood, staining his paws with the crimson liquid. It wasn't like he cared though. Badgerclaw thought it better to die alone in this darkness than to live any longer. _

_Hour after hour passed until the brilliant sun had set, leaving nothing but cold, dark blackness. The moon didn't come out, for it was new moon that night, making everything darker than usual. Badgerclaw was just about to fall asleep when he heard murmuring, keeping him awake. _

_The whispering continued, and so he stood up, getting into a defensive position as he tried to figure out who was talking. A few moments later he realized it was a clan patrol led by Nightstar, and on it was little Featherpaw whom he narrowed his eyes to. _

_The cats stared at him in silence. Badgerclaw waited for what Nightstar had to say as the patrol cats seemed to study him, looking for proof. Badgerclaw didn't know what to do, not even as the silence was broken. Running was the good option, but it wasn't the bravest path either._

"_Badgerclaw, what have you done?" asked his mother, whom was among the patrol cats. The black warrior looked to his mother, his eyes wide with fear as the other cats waited for an explanation. _

"_I-I didn't do anything!" Badgerclaw cried. "It was Featherpaw! I saw her do it!" No one even glanced at the small apprentice who pretended to be looking at Waterlily with the horror of seeing death. Badgerclaw got angrier, but also more fearful of what was to come._

"_How could you blame someone as innocent as she?" asked Nightstar, his voice rough with anger and betrayal. "How could you kill your own sister? I would have never thought this of you, Badgerclaw, but here you are, stained in your sister's blood with your scent stinking on her fur. How could you?" Badgerclaw searched for the right words, but his mind was blurry. He couldn't think straight because of the fear of being exiled. _

"_I-I didn't—"_

"_Don't deny it, Badgerclaw," said Nightstar, growling lowly. "I have seen enough proof. You will hereby be exiled from WindClan, and if any of my warriors sees you in this territory, you will be killed." Badgerclaw's eyes widened as the warriors behind the noble leader walked toward him with their lips drawn back into a snarl, showing their sharp teeth._

"_No. . ." Badgerclaw whispered in shock. As one of the warriors lunged toward him, he darted off, evading the attack before sprinting away from WindClan territory in complete shock and terror._

Badgerclaw blinked back a tear as the memory left him, remembering once again why he wanted the revenge. He could hear Feathersoul's screams, and this just made him sigh. Badgerclaw knew what he was doing was evil, and that he'd probably be sent to the Dark Forest for it, but he wanted revenge more than anything else in the world.

So after Badgerclaw gave a small glance to Feathersoul, he turned toward the squealing kit and got into a fighting position, ready to kill it as Feathersoul's screams became louder and louder. Badgerclaw had to keep reminding himself that it was for revenge, and that he would never have to kill again.

In one swift movement, Badgerclaw attacked the kit, pinned it down, and slit it's throat. The small pool of blood that formed around the kit's body didn't reach Badgerclaw's paws, for he'd backed away after Feathersoul reached her kit. Shadepelt had let her go, seeing no reason to keep her restrained anymore.

Badgerclaw and Shadepelt quickly left after that, but the one memory that had stuck to his mind was Feathersoul crying over her son's dead body, just as he had done for his sister. As he forced himself not to cry, the only thing he could tell himself was that he had gotten revenge and there was no reason to look back.

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**A/N: I do not own warriors.**

**Well this didn't go as planned, and I think I made the good chacter (Feathersoul) look like the bad guy as I made the bad chacter (Badgerclaw) look like the good guy. Great.**


	4. We Want It Gone

Shadowpaw stood there, looking down into the lake at his reflection, watching as his long dark gray fur swayed in the light breeze that cut through FireClan territory. The moon was right above him, shining light down on his fur, making it seem lighter. It made him look like a WaterClan cat, which made him scoff.

If only he could be someone like them. A good caring cat who could heal plants, wounds, and cats who were beyond help from medicine cats. WaterClan cats were so kind, so gentle, and so wonderful. They didn't kill, and they didn't have a grudge against any of the other clans. They were just. . .them.

But FireClan was the polar opposite. They were evil cats who cared about nothing but power, and they always threatened the other clans at gatherings. They used their element for strength, to use against the Air, Earth, and Water using cats. So evil, so impure, and yet he lived there. . .alone.

Most cats told him it was his _destiny _to wield such a dangerous element, and that it was his _fate _to make his way to the top. It was what all Fire users did. They would fight whenever necessary, leaving their opponents shaking in fear by the time they gave up. It was wrong, but it was what was done.

What made it worse was that Shadowpaw was Badgerstar's son, leaving him to be destined to lead the evil clan through it's 'greatness'. It was his destiny since he and his sister was born, and he had accepted it. He'd trained to do so, using his fire to burn down things that the other clans needed, like prey and branches. They were allowed to, since the Element Code said nothing about it.

Shadowpaw knew how to use his fire with stealth and strength. He could shoot fire balls from across the lake, burn whole trees down to the ground without burning anything else, and even steal the oxygen from a cat without letting a single amber flame touch their pelts.

But Shadowpaw didn't use his training on a day-to-day biases like normal FireClan cats did. He kept his fire to himself, finding it better than using them every chance he got. He didn't want to lead such an evil Clan. He didn't want to become his father, who so recklessly sent his warriors into battle with the other clans without even thinking what would happen.

Shadowpaw had slipped out of camp after a very dangerous argument with his father, and was now sitting there looking at his reflection, trying to figure out what to do. There were so many options, yet all of them had one reason or another for him not to run away. He had no choice but to stay.

A sudden rustling noise made him flinch and look toward the WaterClan border. He expected a Moonhigh patrol, or maybe even a warrior. But it wasn't. It was merely a young white she-cat with medium long fur and icy blue eyes. She locked her gaze onto him, as if expecting Shadowpaw to attack, but he just looked away, having no real interest in an apprentice who was probably just exploring.

Shadowpaw continued to hear movement behind him, but after a few moments, when he looked toward the WaterClan cat, he found that she, too, was looking into the water, just like him. She seemed deep into thought, which made him not only curious, but suspicious as well. This was due to his large amount of training, because as his father always said, 'never trust an outsider to your clan. They always disappoint you'. So Shadowpaw cautiously kept an ear out on her movements as he looked back to the lake.

There was a silence that overcame them, leaving everything quiet aside from the whispering winds that seemed to have picked up. Shadowpaw was interested in many things, but he made sure to keep himself composed and still, no matter how hard it was. This she-cat was just. . .different, it seemed to him.

A ripple in the water caught his attention, and as he looked back toward the WaterClan cat, he found that there was a spiral of water right in front of her, dripping in the water and making it ripple. The WaterClan she-cat was watching it with a fatigued look in her eye, as if she wasn't really paying attention to what she was doing.

_She's a water user, then, _Shadowpaw thought curiously, quickly looking back to the water as the she-cat moved her head to look at him. This made the WaterClan cat even more suspicious to him, because she was much more dangerous, making Shadowpaw stiffen.

You see, not every WaterClan cat had the power to use the water in the lakes or streams. It was the same with every Clan—not every EarthClan cat could use the ground beneath them, not every AirClan cat could use the air around them, and not every FireClan cat could create wildfires. Some were just normal, and if they were unable to use Fire in FireClan, they were were useless to Badgerstar. It was usual.

The WaterClan she-cat quickly realized that he'd noticed her water user skills. She quickly sent the water far off into the distance to splash away from them as she stared at him, her eyes narrowed tightly. She seemed angry, yet still tired, as if she'd just been through a lot.

"What are you so tense for?" she hissed across the border, though it wasn't really loud because in reality Shadowpaw was just two mouse-lengths away from her. She was obviously irritated, but nothing about this seemed like a trap, so Shadowpaw relaxed a little. "I'm a Water user. So what? It's not like I'm anything special." She looked back to the water, murmuring something that Shadowpaw just barely caught. "You normal cats are so lucky. . ."

Shadowpaw smirked, giving a small puff of amusement. His eyes went back toward the water as well, looking into his eyes, as if telling himself that it would be so much better if he were normal. That would be so good, because then he would be able to leave, and maybe even go to EarthClan. Yes. . .that would be so nice. . .

"They are," Shadowpaw said aloud, making the WaterClan apprentice look at him. He didn't take his eyes off of the water, afraid that she would run away screaming because of what he could do. However, in that moment of silence, she didn't walk away at all.

"What did you say?" the she-cat asked him. Shadowpaw looked at her, making her flinch with fright in her eyes. He ignored this, and looked deeply with his amber eyes. He wanted to test her, to see if she would leave under the pressure of fear. Surprisingly, after a few moments, she was still sitting beside him, looking at him as if expecting him to attack her. She seemed determined to stand there, though, which was unusual for WaterClan cats.

So with that, Shadowpaw called upon his power without blinking and continued to look into the she-cat's eyes, determined to let her know how dangerous he was. Instantly after words, a mouse-length between them, several flames caught, reaching the height of Shadowpaw's shoulder. It didn't grow any more than that, though, which showed the she-cat that he was in fact a Fire user.

The WaterClan she-cat stood up with shock in her eyes moments before a large puddle of water flew above the flames and splattered across them. Quickly afterward, the fire was gone, leaving Shadowpaw to stare at the she-cat, who's breathing had become quite quick by the looks of it.

"Sorry," she panted, surprising Shadowpaw a lot. What in StarClan's name was she saying 'sorry' for? "I didn't mean to take out the flames, it's just natural reflex for us WaterClan cats." Shadowpaw gaped at her, completely surprised by her answer. She was sorry because she took out his flames when they could have killed her in just a few heart-beats? This WaterClan cat was getting stranger and stranger.

"So I guess you feel the same way as I do?" asked the she-cat, sitting back down next to the lake. She seemed calmer now, though still surprised. Shadowpaw thought about his answer, thinking of all the times he wanted to run away from his power and never see it again.

"They all say I'm so powerful, but I just don't like it," Shadowpaw told her, carefully leaving out anything that had to do with Badgerstar's plans and the fact that he was the leader's son. He didn't want to betray his clan, even though he didn't like it. "Fire is so dangerous—with just one mistake, you could light the whole forest on fire. It's just so destructive! It must be so nice to be from WaterClan and be the healers instead of the killers." This made the she-cat lower head, as if he'd said something that made her remember the reason she came in the first place.

"We're not all sunshine and daisies, you know," the she-cat said slowly, frowning as she looked at her reflection. "I know it may seem that way, but ever since Streamstar came into leadership, she's been plotting revenge, and she's been making us use our water for evil ways, and I've come to realize that it can be dangerous, just like fire." Shadowpaw narrowed his eyes with confusion, wondering exactly how water could hurt someone or something. He always knew it as the most innocent element of them all.

"What do you mean?" asked Shadowpaw, trying to figure it out. "Water isn't dangerous, not that I know of any way. You can heal wounds, make plants grow, and don't you know that without water, we wouldn't even survive out here? How can _that _be dangerous?" The she-cat narrowed her eyes with anger, obviously angry.

Shadowpaw suddenly heard a sickening cracking noise that made his eyes dart over to the lake, which was no longer rippling smoothly like it usually did. It was stagnant, as if it had frozen in time. Yet, as Shadowpaw looked closer, he found that the lake had literally frozen, the ice making it colder than ever by his feet. His amber eyes grew a bit wide, amazed that WaterClan cats could actually freeze water as well as use it.

"You see? It's dangerous!" the she-cat exclaimed. "If a cat was to walk into the lake, river, or stream, they'd be frozen with in just a few heart-beats! And ever since Streamstar took her place as leader, she's been teaching us these things, using it on live mice and squirrels! It's not right, and I don't like it! I don't want to be this anymore!" Shadowpaw blinked in surprise at the she-cat's honestly, as well as her desperate plea for help, even if she hadn't called for it.

"So you want the same thing I do, then?" asked Shadowpaw after composing himself once more. The WaterClan she-cat looked at him in confusion, wondering exactly what it was that the FireClan apprentice wished for. "You don't want to be able to use the element because it's too dangerous, but at the same time, you can't do anything about it because it's your leader who's forcing you to stay?" The WaterClan she-cat looked at him in surprise before making herself answer the question. She nodded, making him smile bleakly. That made two of them.

"If only. . .If only we could just make it so we'd never be able to use Fire or Water again," the she-cat murmured quietly, looking back at her reflection again. "Not for the whole clan, because some cats really like it, but just give those who don't like it the option to just quit using their element. That would be so nice to just say 'no'." Shadowpaw nodded, agreeing with her. If only there was a way. . .

If only it was just like what he'd just seen, where he used his element, and then she was able to make it go away with her water ability. If only it was that way in reality, where the flames would never return, not in his life time, at least. It would be so simple, so quick, and so easy. . .

Shadowpaw suddenly thought of something, but in order for it to work, he needed to find out something. He quickly stared at the ice lake, in which continued to lay still and cold. Shadowpaw focused his power at a point right in the middle of the lake where a single crack lay. He imagined it in his head and then—

A large fire ball came from the sky, falling right to where the crack was. It gained more and more speed, so much that it gained more and more fire as well. The WaterClan apprentice gasped with fear, looking from the Fireball, to him. It was in seconds that the fire ball hit the ice, cracking in many places as well as melting the rest. The water was once again moving, no loner any sign of ice. Shadowpaw took on the look of an excited kit just before his apprentice ceremony.

"What's wrong?" asked the WaterClan apprentice cautiously. Shadowpaw quickly looked over to her, his eyes bright and eagerly awaiting what he was about to tell her, which he hoped she'd agree to.

"I have an idea!" he told her eagerly. "And it'll work!"

Shadowpaw—newly named Shadowfang—jumped off of the log onto the island, where he could scent many cats already there. FireClan must have been the last one to arrive, meaning Hailpaw, the apprentice he'd met the night before, was already there, meaning the plan would so far go perfectly.

Shadowfang quickly pushed his way through the obstacles in front of him, trying to get to Hailpaw before the gathering started. The plan was simple, but they needed to be together at the same time before the gathering began, and also needed to be close to the lake.

Shadowfang sniffed in, ignoring all of the strange looks from the other cats in his clan. Usually, FireClan cats never interacted with _any _other cat from the clan simply because they were hated by all of them. Shadowfang didn't blame them, for with as many battles FireClan sent upon EarthClan, WaterClan, and AirClan, they had a right to hate them.

When he caught Hailpaw's scent he smiled. Shadowfang's eyes locked onto the white she-cat who was with a cluster of WaterClan apprentices. It was at this point that there were a few gasps from FireClan cats, noticing that he was looking at a WaterClan apprentice.

"You aren't seriously thinking of going to meet a WaterClan cat?" asked a warrior behind him. It was Darkblaze, a cat who looked exactly like Shadowfang aside from his fur, which was tabby stripped instead of plain like him. He could use fire as well, which was why he was respected in FireClan. "She's an apprentice!" Shadowfang shrugged.

"I just wanna go see her," said Shadowfang, making Darkblaze's shocked expression reach further. "Besides, if she tries to do anything, I could just send one of my lightning bolts at her. According to Badgerstar, it'll be enough to knock her out." Darkblaze still looked cautious, but the lie worked. The FireClan warrior followed the rest of his clammates, leaving Shadowfang alone.

With a small smile of pride, Shadowfang turned around and padded toward Hailpaw, who noticed him immediately after he walked up. She smiled, showing confidence for her friends who looked scared out of their fur and unsure about the FireClan cat approaching them.

"Hello, Shadowpaw!" Hailpaw greeted happily. "I was wondering when you would come! These are my friends, Rainpaw, Poppypaw, Frostpaw, and Stormshade. Guys, this is Shadowpaw, the FireClan apprentice I was talking to you about." Shadowfang smiled at her welcome, looking at the WaterClan cats with interest.

It was obvious of what WaterClan's fur color usually consisted of. Rainpaw was a light gray tom with pale blue eyes, Poppypaw was a dark gray tabby she-cat with pale yellow eyes, Frostpaw was a white she-cat with dark blue eyes, and Stormshade was a silver gray tabby tom with bright blue eyes. It was interesting to see how it differed with FireClan, who's fur color was basically dark gray, black, and ginger while their eyes were usually green or amber.

"I'm Shadowfang now, Hailpaw," said Shadowfang politely. "A proud warrior of FireClan, even though I don't agree with their rules." He added the last part to gain the trust of her friends, which he did seem to get a little bit, for they were now more curious than cautious.

"Well, _I'm _Hailbreeze," said Hailbreeze, standing proudly. "And today has to be the best day ever for me." She gave Shadowfang a wink, which he returned with a wider grin. Not only were they now both warriors, they were going to change everything, and whether that be good or bad was not something they wanted to worry about at that moment.

"Come on, Hailbreeze!" urged Poppypaw. "Let's go get a better seat! The gathering is able to start!" Shadowfang looked to Hailbreeze, telling her with his eyes that she needed to lie because they were right where they needed to be. Hailbreeze nodded before turning to her friend.

"I'm happy right here," Hailbreeze told them. "You can go though. I want to talk alone with Shadowfang." The apprentices and warrior looked cautiously from Hailbreeze and Shadowfang before turning and padding away with uncertainty in their eyes.

"They probably think we're meeting secretly now," Shadowfang said, a smile on his face as he said this.

"Well hopefully by tonight that will be the least of their problems." Hailbreeze said, sitting down with a relaxed look. "Can't they go any faster? I want to get rid of this power now!" Shadowfang laughed a bit at her complaint, noticing a few confused glances getting shot in their direction.

It was then that Badgerstar called the warriors to come gather by the oak tree so that the gathering could start. Hailbreeze and Shadowfang sat quietly, awaiting the official opening of the gathering, both eagerly shaking, anxiously waiting for the disappearance of their elements.

"Cats of the Lake! I shall speak first!" Badgerstar called, his black and white fur standing out against the bland colors of the other leaders. His yellow eyes were staring down out the cats as he smirked, knowing very well of all the hated yet fearful looks he was getting.

"No!" said Shadowfang, standing up with power in his voice. He was as loud as he could be, trying to get everyone's attention. It worked, for now every cat in the clearing had their eyes set on him, whispering and murmuring to each other about what he was doing. "You will not be speaking at this moment, Badgerstar, no matter how feared you are among the clans!" There was even more whispering, and as the smirk faded from his father's face, Shadowfang smiled, happy to see his father confused.

"We will be starting this gathering!" Hailbreeze called to the clans, also standing. Her icy blue eyes were set on Streamstar, who was frowning along with Badgerstar and the other leaders who seemed to be clueless of what was going on. This had obviously never been attempted before, which made Shadowfang nervous. "Though we may not lead a clan, we lead a revolution! For those who use their element reluctantly, listen! We hold the news of hope!"

The clans were whispering to each other, now completely curious of what was happening. Shadowfang smiled, noticing that Badgerstar was getting angry, and Streamstar was getting impatient. It was just what the two of them had wanted most of all, so that their words could be heard.

"You have no right to speak before the leaders," said Badgerstar loudly so that they could hear. "StarClan only allows us to speak to the clans. Step down before they hurt you." Shadowfang and Hailbreeze didn't stop smiling. It was all going according to plan.

"Actually, StarClan has said nothing of the sort!" Shadowfang yelled up to his father, a smirk still residing in his expression. "The only rule at gatherings is the truce! We can do what we want—and we will! Hear us now, Users of the Elements, for we have found a solution! You no longer have to bear the burden of your dangerous element!" Hailbreeze smiled to him, nodding as it was her time to speak.

"We now know how to make the element vanish forever, without a destructive trace left!" Hailbreeze told the clan cats. "Any and every element can be gotten rid of, if you so wish! We know how to force it away, without ever having to worry about killing or hurting anyone ever again!"

The clan cats were now buzzing with anxiousness. They were cautious, but curious. The FireClan and WaterClan leaders, however, looked as if they were going to come down and slaughter the two of them if they went any further, which was even more than they wanted. It was brilliant! A sight that Shadowfang loved to see upon his fathers face.

"Why would we want to get rid of our elements?" asked a dark gray FireClan warrior, his tail lashing with fury. "Why do _you _want to get rid of your elements?" Hailbreeze and Shadowfang glanced at each other before she signaled with her tail that he could go first. Shadowfang nodded before turning his gaze back to the clan cats again.

"For moons I have trained under the rule of Badgerstar," Shadowfang told them, standing high so that they would know of his authority. "I was taught to use my fire as an offensive move toward cats—to use it for anything and everything, no matter what the situation was. I was taught that I could hurt things with it—that I could hurt _cats_ and maybe even kill them. I knew that fire was dangerous—it is what every apprentice is taught at a young age. But I couldn't do anything. I was forced to use it against other clan cats, hurting them so mercilessly. Would you like to wield a power strong enough to spiral out of control? Would you like to wield a power strong enough to kill somebody on accident? So dangerous. . .I hate it!" Shadowfang looked to Hailbreeze who smiled, telling him he did a good job. Then she stood up again, her white fur blinding against his dark gray.

"My fellow WaterClan cats, and everyone else who is here tonight, would you like to wield a power that cannot only heal, but freeze as well?" asked Hailbreeze, started, making Shadowfang grin. She was starting it up with a good introduction. "I loved my User ability when I was younger, but Stremstar changed this. Tell me, warriors, would you like to be forced to freeze a living animal for practice? Would you like to know that sooner or later, you'll be freezing real cats just in revenge of what someone else did? That's a cruel way to die! And I don't want to commit murderer. I want to get rid of the danger that resides within me!"

The clan cats were now listening intently, trying to figure out exactly what was going on. The clan leaders were also curious, but they were also very cautious. They were responsible for their clan, so of course it was that way, but Shadowfang knew that Badgerstar was plotting how to stop them. The spotlight was just too far away from the black and white leader.

"Are you even going to show us how, or are you going to sit there like rambling elders?" asked Badgerstar, upset though smirking because of the fact he thought that he'd beaten them. Shadowfang's eyes did not stop shining, and his frown did not vanish. He simply turned to face Hailbreeze, who'd done the same.

They nodded to each other before Hailbreeze shut her eyes, undoubtedly calling upon her element to do the job. At first, nothing happened. It was quiet, because no one wanted to disturb her. They were too curious to do that. Then, after a few moments, the ground shook slightly, and the water in the lake rose.

Higher and higher, it rose from the ground, leaving nothing but the wet, muddy ground beneath. Not even the fish were left behind, which scared most of the WaterClan cats. Apparently, this was advanced, making Shadowfang smirk. _Who's the leader now, Badgerstar?_

Once the water rose just above the great oak, it stopped, flying high above the air as the clan cats gaped at it. It was so much water, and they were obviously wondering what the young WaterClan warrior was going to do with it. Shadowfang knew, but he didn't know it was going to be this amazing. It was just so scary to see that Hailbreeze could control this much.

The water surrounded the island still, making it's appearance that more impressive. It was literally as if the earth had fell, and the water was still way up there. When it started pouring down, Shadowfang's eyes were wide with amazement. Gallon by gallon, the water made a simple waterfall that surrounded the island, allowing no one to leave unless they wanted to get drenched.

When the water reached the ground, it froze, and then the whole waterfall froze, leaving nothing but a wall of ice that surrounded the island, making a few cats scream with fear, realizing they'd been trapped. As water splashed over the top and then quickly turned to ice, however, they were unable to move, for the air within the dome island was now dropping in temperature. It was so low, that if anyone moved, they would feel as if they were walking through glass.

Hailbreeze opened her eyes after this, looking at him to signal that it was his turn. He nodded before quickly standing up, aware of what he was to do. It was going to be hard, seeing as he had only learned how to do this the day before, but it was going to have to work, because there was no other way he could use the fire in his weather.

Shadowfang closed his eyes, imagining what he was going to do in his head. He remembered what Badgerstar told him, how to conjure the energy. _Flames of shock, flames of the storm, flames of the sky. That's all it is. Faster than sound and light, stronger than any fox or warrior. Flames of the sky. . .A fast fire ball. . ._

Shadowfang suddenly heard a crash, but he didn't open his eyes. He knew Hailbreeze would be able to repair the ice quickly, since the lighting bolt had only shot open a small hole. When he felt the fire near his pelt, his amber eyes opened to fall upon the large flame in front of him, flickering like a snake as it waited for his command.

Shadowfang focused on the strength and heat of the fire as it flickered in front of him. He imagined in his head what he wanted it to do, and it sparked in response. The fire became a few inches shorter before spreading out quickly, reaching the ice in just a few heart-beats. None of it melted, though, because the two of them weren't ready for that step yet.

Hailbreeze was holding her breath as she kept the ice standing, and as the fire covered the bottom of it, unable to let any cat see it. The flames flickered at the bottom, no longer in front of Shadowfang, but burning the few inches of crass near the ice. It flickered higher after this, climbing it's way up to the top of the dome. Soon, the ice was not visible. It was only the flames.

It stayed like this for a few more moments, making a few cats whisper with fright. They still couldn't move because of the heat, so they just stood there watching the show. Shadowfang nodded to Hailbreeze after this, telling her that he was ready. The she-cat nodded back before they both looked up to the top of the dome.

The ice was melting quickly, and a few drops got onto the cats below them. The fire was being watered down, and it continued to get lower and lower, making Shadowfang exhausted. Hailbreeze seemed this way too, because with every inch of ice melted, there was another inch of water that she'd bring up and make into ice. It was a never ending cycle, because with every inch the fire went down, Shadowfang made it go back up.

They were pushing each other, trying to force their bodies past their limit as their elements fought against each other, trying to win. Hailbreeze's muscles were tensed as she focused on her ice, and Shadowfang was panting heavily as he forced the flames to reach a higher state. He was in pain, but he wanted them gone. He never wanted to use the flames again. He wanted them to vanish.

This went on for many more minutes. The cats below watched in awe, eager to find out what was going to happen. The bright flames and glittering ice would never fail, because the cycle was purely endless if they both gave the same amount of effort.

Lightning started shooting toward Shadowfang, and water from different territories was now swirling around Hailbreeze's body. The lightning never hit Shadowfang's body, but it continued to go toward him as he called all his power to come toward him. It was so freaky, but at the same time, relieving. They were almost done. . .

Suddenly, the lightning bolt hit him just as he saw that the water was surrounding Hailbreeze, unable to let her out. In a wave of panic, Shadowfang tried to move, but that was when another lightning bolt hit him, and then another. After just a few moments, Shadowfang's sight was gone, and he fell.

When Shadowfang opened his eyes, he looked to Hailbreeze. She, too, had just woken up, and shared his shocked expression. This wasn't what they'd expected to happen, so they were afraid. When they looked toward the clan cats, they found that everyone was looking to them with shock.

The ice and fire had vanished, and the lake was once again filled with water. However, something seemed different, and Shadowfang wasn't certain of what that was. His mind was too foggy with all that had gone on, and his body was about to give out again. He knew that he would not be able to stand if he tried, but he wondered if he could still use fire.

When he looked back to Hailbreeze, he found that she was trying hard to continue sitting. However, it seemed difficult, making Shadowfang's heart beat faster. Did they just do this to hurt themselves? Did they just sacrifice a sacred night of peace? And after this, the most important question came up:

Did it work?

**A/N: I do not own warriors.**

**This was done for the Avatar Challenge from the Warriors Challenge Forum.**


	5. Let It Go

Pain was all she felt. Pain was all she knew. After so many days of being in darkness. . .after so many days of being confused and exhausted. . .she felt as if she didn't even exist. Was it a nightmare? A dream? Maybe even her imagination?

After a few days, she came to realize that it did happen. She was devastated. . .how could something like this happen? Questions came to her head: What would she do now? Would Fireheart forgive her? Where did Tigerclaw go? Was the message delivered to Bluestar? Was she ever going to be a warrior? Was this pain ever going to end?

Her blood was on fire, her leg was aching, and she just felt like screaming. She felt alone in the darkness, but at the same time, she felt as if she had someone beside her. All the same, she was different. She knew her life would be different, no matter what happened.

She was frustrated. She was irritated. She was angry. Why? She had built up so much hope in becoming a warrior. She had built up so much hope in Fireheart's trust. She had built so much hope in Bluestar's praise. But it wouldn't come now. She was only going to be scolded. She knew it.

She remembered only glimpses of the accident, and though it wasn't much, it was a horrifying memory she wouldn't forget. The lights of the monster, shining on her, seeming to be able to blind every cat in sight. It burned her eyes, and scared her mind into a frozen state. After she was hit, she felt nothing but pain, and though she wanted to scream, she couldn't. Not with Fireheart there. Not with her throat in a knot as she felt her death coming nearer.

After becoming unconscious, she felt as if she was falling. Complete and utter darkness surrounded her, but she knew she was falling. It was as if the grace of life was pulling her downward, all until she saw stars. These stars. . .they made her lose her hope. She was dead. She was going to StarClan. This was it. She had no one to catch her. She had no one to pull her out of this suffocating fate. She had no one.

But after many moments, she seemed to stopped falling, and instead just waited in the darkness, alone with her fear of never becoming a warrior. She knew she wasn't going to die, but still, the air felt cold as she thought of her life. Of how happy and joyful it had been. Was she ever going to be the same?

She thought of her hopes in becoming a brilliant warrior. She thought of her hopes of becoming Fireheart's pride and joy. She thought of her hopes of becoming all that she could be. A mate, kits, her brother—she thought of how she'd hoped her life would end.

But failure was all that answered her. She would never be a warrior, just a sad young elder who was crippled and couldn't walk. She would never be Fireheart's pride and joy. At best, she would just be his burden. And worst of all, no one would love her anymore. Her life was ruined, all because she'd been stupid and had walked out onto that road.

So after waking up, Cinderpaw felt more dead that she had ever been in her life. She felt lifeless, as if there was nothing to do. Nothing to live for. The goal had always been becoming a warrior. The goal was always right in front of her, just out of reach. But she had fallen far from it. So far that she would never, ever, be able to climb back up.

Moons later, Cinderpaw began to feel more at ease. She had found that sorting herbs and healing cats wasn't so boring after all, and she'd matured. Still, she was sad over what had happened. Sure, Fireheart was okay with her, and sure, it was better than being an elder, but it wasn't what she wanted.

She still felt the coldness of the darkness. She still felt the emptiness, the heart-break, and the failure that she'd brought to her clan. Fireheart and Brackenfur kept telling her to let go. They urged her to forget, and after a few moons, they believed she had. But the truth was, she just learned how to hide her pain.

When the twolegs came, Cinderpelt felt trapped. The huge monsters. . .they were coming. Whether it be for her or everyone else, she didn't care. The fear in her stomach, the terror in her eyes, and everything else that was going on. . .she was afraid. Scared, and unable to forget about what happened. These monsters. . .they were coming for her.

Cinderpelt was mortified even more as they moved through the mountains toward the lake. There was so many deaths, so much starvation. Even with the tribe cats' help, there was too much pain. For the first time in moons, she wondered if anyone else had felt like this.

Her hopes had now grown, up to the point where none of it was about her. She prayed that the clans would be alright when they got to the forest. She hoped that there would be no more prophecies, and no more dangers to the clans. She hoped that they would live in peace.

But failure was all she'd known the past few seasons. She'd failed to save Yellowfang, and she'd failed at letting go. Now this. Leafpool, her apprentice, was seeing Crowfeather, a WindClan cat. She was breaking the warrior code, and Cinderpelt blamed herself. If she had taught Leafpool better, this would have never happened. None of it would have.

And no matter how hard she tried, the coldness of the shadows still haunted her, and she couldn't let go. Even after so many moons after the injury. Even after so many changes, and realizations, and dreams. She just couldn't let go of the sadness, the pain, and the hopeless. And she was beginning to think she never would.

So now, in her death, she lay there, wounded greatly by the badger. The pain had returned, and the darkness was overtaking her. It was just like last time, except she had no hopes or dreams. Her life had been meaningless, but just three seconds ago, she saved Sorreltail's kits. She'd saved them, making her life worth something.

Cinderpelt thought about her life long and hard as her eyes urged to keep open, afraid that she'd end up falling, this time finding the bottom. She held onto the edge, trying her hardest to stay alive. While doing so, she thought of the devastation she would bring others of she died. She couldn't even think of forcing Firestar, Leafpool, or even Brackenfur into that fate.

But this time, she wouldn't fail if she died. She'd done what she wanted. She'd saved the kits. So what was there really to fail if she died? Who was there to disappoint? The frustration, the sadness, and the fact that she'd never let go of any of it. Was it time to now?

_No, _she told herself. _Just because I'm dying doesn't mean I can let go of what happened. _But in her heart, she wanted to. She wanted to forget that horrible accident, accept what happened, and die all at one time, so that when she joined StarClan, she didn't have to think of this any longer. So that she could be free of he burden.

So in her last dying breath, she smiled to those around her, breathing smoothly with happiness. No one would understand her smile—they would probably think she was happy that she saved the kits. And she was, but more importantly, she was happy that she had finally let go of every speck of sadness and frustration she'd held onto.

_Do you feel cold and lost in desperation?_

_You build up hope, but faliure's all you've known_

_Remember all the sadness and frustration_

_And let it go. And let it go._

**A/N: I do not own warriors.**

**This is a songfic/one-shot thingy that I did for Mossine's Theme Song Experiment Challenge on the Warriors Challenge Forum. I wrote it in an hour, so sorry if it turned out horrible, and don't forget I've never really written for cannon cats. I hope I did okay. =)**

**This song is **_**Iridescent **_**by **_**Linkin Park. **_**I have nothing to do with that. It's all them and their awesomeness. XD**

**-+- The Endless Hourglass, may time be with you. **

Pain was all she felt. Pain was all she knew. After so many days of being in darkness. . .after so many days of being confused and exhausted. . .she felt as if she didn't even exist. Was it a nightmare? A dream? Maybe even her imagination?

After a few days, she came to realize that it did happen. She was devastated. . .how could something like this happen? Questions came to her head: What would she do now? Would Fireheart forgive her? Where did Tigerclaw go? Was the message delivered to Bluestar? Was she ever going to be a warrior? Was this pain ever going to end?

Her blood was on fire, her leg was aching, and she just felt like screaming. She felt alone in the darkness, but at the same time, she felt as if she had someone beside her. All the same, she was different. She knew her life would be different, no matter what happened.

She was frustrated. She was irritated. She was angry. Why? She had built up so much hope in becoming a warrior. She had built up so much hope in Fireheart's trust. She had built so much hope in Bluestar's praise. But it wouldn't come now. She was only going to be scolded. She knew it.

She remembered only glimpses of the accident, and though it wasn't much, it was a horrifying memory she wouldn't forget. The lights of the monster, shining on her, seeming to be able to blind every cat in sight. It burned her eyes, and scared her mind into a frozen state. After she was hit, she felt nothing but pain, and though she wanted to scream, she couldn't. Not with Fireheart there. Not with her throat in a knot as she felt her death coming nearer.

After becoming unconscious, she felt as if she was falling. Complete and utter darkness surrounded her, but she knew she was falling. It was as if the grace of life was pulling her downward, all until she saw stars. These stars. . .they made her lose her hope. She was dead. She was going to StarClan. This was it. She had no one to catch her. She had no one to pull her out of this suffocating fate. She had no one.

But after many moments, she seemed to stopped falling, and instead just waited in the darkness, alone with her fear of never becoming a warrior. She knew she wasn't going to die, but still, the air felt cold as she thought of her life. Of how happy and joyful it had been. Was she ever going to be the same?

She thought of her hopes in becoming a brilliant warrior. She thought of her hopes of becoming Fireheart's pride and joy. She thought of her hopes of becoming all that she could be. A mate, kits, her brother—she thought of how she'd hoped her life would end.

But failure was all that answered her. She would never be a warrior, just a sad young elder who was crippled and couldn't walk. She would never be Fireheart's pride and joy. At best, she would just be his burden. And worst of all, no one would love her anymore. Her life was ruined, all because she'd been stupid and had walked out onto that road.

So after waking up, Cinderpaw felt more dead that she had ever been in her life. She felt lifeless, as if there was nothing to do. Nothing to live for. The goal had always been becoming a warrior. The goal was always right in front of her, just out of reach. But she had fallen far from it. So far that she would never, ever, be able to climb back up.

Moons later, Cinderpaw began to feel more at ease. She had found that sorting herbs and healing cats wasn't so boring after all, and she'd matured. Still, she was sad over what had happened. Sure, Fireheart was okay with her, and sure, it was better than being an elder, but it wasn't what she wanted.

She still felt the coldness of the darkness. She still felt the emptiness, the heart-break, and the failure that she'd brought to her clan. Fireheart and Brackenfur kept telling her to let go. They urged her to forget, and after a few moons, they believed she had. But the truth was, she just learned how to hide her pain.

When the twolegs came, Cinderpelt felt trapped. The huge monsters. . .they were coming. Whether it be for her or everyone else, she didn't care. The fear in her stomach, the terror in her eyes, and everything else that was going on. . .she was afraid. Scared, and unable to forget about what happened. These monsters. . .they were coming for her.

Cinderpelt was mortified even more as they moved through the mountains toward the lake. There was so many deaths, so much starvation. Even with the tribe cats' help, there was too much pain. For the first time in moons, she wondered if anyone else had felt like this.

Her hopes had now grown, up to the point where none of it was about her. She prayed that the clans would be alright when they got to the forest. She hoped that there would be no more prophecies, and no more dangers to the clans. She hoped that they would live in peace.

But failure was all she'd known the past few seasons. She'd failed to save Yellowfang, and she'd failed at letting go. Now this. Leafpool, her apprentice, was seeing Crowfeather, a WindClan cat. She was breaking the warrior code, and Cinderpelt blamed herself. If she had taught Leafpool better, this would have never happened. None of it would have.

And no matter how hard she tried, the coldness of the shadows still haunted her, and she couldn't let go. Even after so many moons after the injury. Even after so many changes, and realizations, and dreams. She just couldn't let go of the sadness, the pain, and the hopeless. And she was beginning to think she never would.

So now, in her death, she lay there, wounded greatly by the badger. The pain had returned, and the darkness was overtaking her. It was just like last time, except she had no hopes or dreams. Her life had been meaningless, but just three seconds ago, she saved Sorreltail's kits. She'd saved them, making her life worth something.

Cinderpelt thought about her life long and hard as her eyes urged to keep open, afraid that she'd end up falling, this time finding the bottom. She held onto the edge, trying her hardest to stay alive. While doing so, she thought of the devastation she would bring others of she died. She couldn't even think of forcing Firestar, Leafpool, or even Brackenfur into that fate.

But this time, she wouldn't fail if she died. She'd done what she wanted. She'd saved the kits. So what was there really to fail if she died? Who was there to disappoint? The frustration, the sadness, and the fact that she'd never let go of any of it. Was it time to now?

_No, _she told herself. _Just because I'm dying doesn't mean I can let go of what happened. _But in her heart, she wanted to. She wanted to forget that horrible accident, accept what happened, and die all at one time, so that when she joined StarClan, she didn't have to think of this any longer. So that she could be free of he burden.

So in her last dying breath, she smiled to those around her, breathing smoothly with happiness. No one would understand her smile—they would probably think she was happy that she saved the kits. And she was, but more importantly, she was happy that she had finally let go of every speck of sadness and frustration she'd held onto.

_Do you feel cold and lost in desperation?_

_You build up hope, but faliure's all you've known_

_Remember all the sadness and frustration_

_And let it go. And let it go._

**A/N: I do not own warriors.**

**This is a songfic/one-shot thingy that I did for Mossine's Theme Song Experiment Challenge on the Warriors Challenge Forum. I wrote it in an hour, so sorry if it turned out horrible, and don't forget I've never really written for cannon cats. I hope I did okay. =)**

**This song is **_**Iridescent **_**by **_**Linkin Park. **_**I have nothing to do with that. It's all them and their awesomeness. XD**

**-+- The Endless Hourglass, may time be with you. **


	6. ABC, Lies For Me

**WARNING! **

**SPOILER ALERT!**

**For those of you who read my story **_The Servant's Promise _**please ****do NOT**** read this one-shot. It will give everything away, and you don't want that, do you? =)**

**A – Await**

In the distance, he locked his gaze onto the dark fog that covered the dark forest, looking for nothing in particular. Of course, he was wishing for someone to find him. He was wishing for something miraculous to happen, so that maybe, just maybe, he would have a chance to live. So in the darkness he awaited his death, which was soon to come, and he awaited the miracle of his wish to come true.

**B – Blood**

Around him the scents of the lush forest had vanished, because around him on the cold floor, was a pool of sticky red blood that had all come from him. He was breathing heavily, and the only thing he could think of was the pain. This blood was royal, and so precious, yet ounce by ounce it oozed out of him, forcing the clock of his life to tick by faster than before with every ounce he lost.

**C – Consciousness**

As the moments and minutes tick by, he lied there, watching as the moon wasn't as bright as it was supposed to be. His body was losing it's blood, and his mind was blurring his surrounding as his eyes searched for something to help him. He knew very well, however, that he would soon lose his sight, and moments afterword, lose his consciousness.

**D – Dying**

Breath by breath he waited for his sight to leave him, or for a patrol to find him after he'd so loudly crashed into the dark forest in which his enemies lived. His heart was racing, and even though he was sure that cats couldn't see his wings, he was certain that death was upon him. Being a normal cat wouldn't matter to any of the patrols probably surrounding him at that moment, because they were too merciless to help a cat who was obviously dying.

**E – Everlasting**

Now literally begging for death, he looked at the ground, each speck becoming bigger as everything seemed brighter, and yet his mind seemed to be foggy, and he couldn't think straight. Though the memories of how he ended up here still reined over his mind, the thought of dying was now taking over, yet the pain seemed everlasting, as if it was never going to end, acting as a punishment for his deeds.

**F – Final**

The silver tabby tom, now in his final breaths of life, was thinking of his family and how much he would miss them. Cura, the best wing-healer in the flock, was his sister, and she was probably already crying for his betrayal and his exile. Tavo, the crowned prince, was his brother, and he was probably either a tad bit worried or grateful to his father because now there was nothing in the way of his coronation. Leona, the Queen of the Subir flock, was his mother, and she was probably arguing with her mate, telling him that she shouldn't have banished the silver tabby tom. But Evectri didn't care. Evectri was happy to have found a way out of those deaths.

**G – Gasp**

A sudden gasp sounded in his ears, leaving Evectri to perk up and listen harder. Had someone really come to his rescue? Had someone really found him? The more important question, however, that came to the silver tabby's mind – was this a cat, or a Volan, and did this creature see him as a friend or foe?

**H – Heard**

Evectri pushed himself to focus on the bush where he'd heard the gasp, finding icy blue eyes staring back at him, wide with the fear and shock that they had found a half-dead cat on the ground, just moments away from death. There was a few moments silence before Evectri coughed, unable to hold it back because of the forcefulness behind it. In a way, Evectri thought that it was perfect timing, because now if the cat heard him, their suspicions of his condition were now confirmed.

**I – Interested**

There were a few more moments of quietness before the cat stepped out from behind the bushes, an interested look on it's face. After a few steps forward, Evectri was able to see that it was a she-cat who had golden fur similar to the rays of the sun, and her icy blue eyes seemed to make him shiver. Her eyes were narrowed with confusion, though there was a hint of interest in there as well.

**J – Jump**

Suddenly the she-cat gasped again, noticing the amount of wounds he had, and how much Evectri was bleeding out. She gave a big jump, and was soon right beside him, which startled Evectri. He wasn't used to having a cat so close to him without having them claw his eyes out, or at least attempt to. All his instincts at that moment were screaming at him to fly away, but the reminder of his invisible broken wing kept coming up, pushing the urges away.

**K – Kind**

"Bless the Elders! Are you okay?" the she-cat shrieked, quickly looking over him, as he lay there, unable to really do anything but look at her. It was obvious that he wasn't okay, so in all honesty, he didn't have to answer. The she-cat's eyes looked away from his amber eyes after this, and continued looking over his wounds. Why was she doing this? That was the first question that came to his mind. Was she doing this for attention? Was she doing this to redeem herself for something she did? Or was she simply being. . .kind?

**L – Lie**

"Who are you?" asked the she-cat, who was now licking the blood off of his fur so that she could actually see where he was wounded. Evectri lay there, trying to figure out exactly what to say. He couldn't mention who he was entirely or she would probably attack him. And so, he lied. "I-I'm Evectri, a loner c-coming from the e-east. . ." Though his voice couldn't have been weaker, she heard him, and she accepted his lie.

**M – Mend **

The she-cat seemed interested by this, as if clearly curious as to why he'd come from the east. She continued licking the wounds, though, which felt so good. It was numbing the pain, and for once in his life, the pain didn't return. It made him smile, for no one he knew of had ever tried to mend him.

**N – Nothing**

As the she-cat continued to heal him, a silence brewed around them, and so Evectri stared off into the distance, his thoughts overtaking the presence before him. At the moment, he was trying to figure out who this she-cat was. Because of his royal training, he knew a lot of his enemies. He knew almost all of them by name, because he'd met pretty much the whole tribe in battle. However, she seemed different. He'd never met her, or even heard about her. It was as if she came from nothing.

**O – Overexposed**

Evectri was brought back from his thoughts, feeling quite overexposed as he lay there with a cat healing him. He had to carefully make sure she didn't touch his currently invisible wings, as well as make sure she wasn't purposely trying to kill him. It was a very uncomfortable feeling, and he didn't like witnessing it, but she was helping him, and so he let her.

**P – Princess**

That was when it dawned on him of who she was. Perfectly groomed golden fur that could be compared to the sun, strong yet slender body that could catch anything, and kill everything, icy blue eyes that showed authority andpower, and yet, through all of that, she seemed to have a kind and gentle personality that no one could explain. Now he knew why he'd never seen her before: she was the Princess of the Cat's of the Storms, and there the Princess of his enemies.

**Q – Quickly**

The Lone Huntress—also known as Huntress—stood up after that, looking very worried and scared for a reason that Evectri couldn't make out. "I'm going to go find some herbs and cobwebs so that these wounds won't get infected." And with that, she quickly left, leaving Evectri with his thoughts.

**R – Return**

Huntress obviously didn't know who he was, so in turn he was okay there. But there was a chance she'd remember what the elders in her tribe told her about him, and then he would be done for. With this thought, he wanted to run away before she came back, but not only could he just barely move, he felt something keeping him there, as if he was too curious about her to actually leave. So he waited for the Princess to return.

**S – Silence**

After a few moments, the golden she-cat came back with a mouthful of herbs and cobwebs. A silence over came them as she hastily applied the herbs to his skin, trying hard to keep the wounds from bleeding further. The quietness seemed nice, because Evectri was able to observe her every move and expression that flew across her face.

**T – Test**

After a few more moments, Evectri was tired of the silence, and decided to test her emotions instead of observe them. "Lately I've been seeing winged cats," he whispered, his voice still not back to normal. "I-I think I'm going crazy. . .but maybe I haven't. . .if you've seen them. . .?" His ears were now listening intently for her answer, just waiting for her to respond.

**U – Universe**

It had to have been the most awkward question he'd ever asked, and the weirdest conversation in the universe. Not only did he know what the winged cats were, he was one, not to mention the prince of the whole flock. There was also the fact that he was talking to the enemy of the winged cats, acting like a helpless loner who'd just witnessed something. . .odd. The look on Huntress's face didn't help either, for the look of confusion, anger, and irritation was clouding her icy blue eyes, leaving Evectri even more interested.

**V – Volan**

"Yes, I've seen them," Huntress answered, trying look as if she was more focused on healing him rather than the conversation they were holding. "They live in that jungle island off the shore, and they seem to enjoy it. Though, they do come over here to hunt, and we've been fighting them. Let's just say my tribe and their flock don't exactly get along. Anyway, they're called Volans, which is another word for 'winged'. We only have a hunch on how they were created, which makes them all the more evil."

**W – Water**

Another silence occurred after this as Evectri pretended to be shocked, confused, and thinking hard. It was then that he felt a rain drop, and when he looked up, he found dark cloud hovering over them. One after another, the drops hit him, and soon it back a down pour. "Come on, there's a dry place just over here," Huntress told him, helping him up before walking with him to a small cave where she set him down. He lied down before sighing with relief. He never liked water, not even rain. It just slowed him down.

**X – Xanthic**

"Hmm, it seems one of your wounds is already infected. . ." Huntress murmured as she tried to push the yellow puss out. It stung Evectri, and made the wound sore, but he let her do it, knowing that she knew enough herbs to know how to do this right. After a few moments, she licked the wound again, and stopped, probably after the puss was gone and the blood had started to ooze out again.

**Y – Yet**

The quietness continued, making Evectri uncomfortable. He wanted to know what was going to happen to him. Yes, to her, he was a cat who could probably be saved, but what if she tried to make him join the Cats of the Storms? There was no way he could, for that just increased the chance of his Volan secret coming out. He calmed himself down, telling himself that he shouldn't jump to conclusions. Yet.

**Z – Zone **

Evectri closed his eyes, continuing to repeat three words in his head: _It'll be okay. . .it'll be okay. . .it'll be okay. . ._He knew that this wasn't going to be the nicest of moons because of the fact he would need to heal from the wounds, and the fact that he was in the Cat's of the Storm's hunting zone made it even worse. However, with Huntress on his side and his father thinking that he was dead, there was nothing he honestly needed to worry about. With that, he fell asleep, welcoming the dreams that came to him with open arms.

**A/N: I do not own warriors.**

_Warriors Challenge Forum, Alphebet Soup by Misgiving Writer. _

_I honestly like this a lot, even if it only took me a few hours to complete. It really shows of Evectri's personality which I still haven't mastered, and it's the beginning of his love for Huntress. =) Well, I hope you like it. These are two Characters from my book, The Servant's Promise, though they aren't the main characters. Evectri plays a HUGE part, though Huntress does not. =) I hope you like it! _

-+-_**The Endless Hourglass, may time be with you**_


	7. My Name Is My Name

My Name Is My Name

What are names for?

Why does everyone have one?

Why do some go through so much to find one?

What are names for?

O

For me, it is something to remind me of my past.

For me, it is something to remind me never to think too fast

For me, it is something I can always despise.

For me, it something that I can never revive.

O

For others, however, it is something to call themselves

For others, however, it is something they admire

For others, surprisingly, it is something they love

For others, surprisingly, it is something they'd never retire

O

But my name, Thornpelt, isn't one I like

My name, so hurtful, isn't one I want

For so many years of being called something extraordinary

To be called this is like being something just, well, ordinary

O

My mother, my father, everyone I know

They live in the name that I no longer hold

I dislike it, I do, but how do I change?

The destiny I hold, cannot be blamed

O

I was chosen to lead BeachClan,

A place I now live,

But in a rush to remember,

How can I forgive?

O

This name is one of their names

It was never one of mine

For forever and always,

I will be called 'Sityn'

O

**A/N : I do not own warriors.**

**Pronounced – (Sit – ine as in valentine) **

**This is for the Coolest Forum ever. The Rhyming Cat Challenge.**

**Epic fail. Most of that didn't even ryme. Ah well, at least I'll give you guys something to look at for awhile. Until Thursday, when I get my laptop back. =D**


	8. The Challenges Of Life Part 1

**The One Who Masks Themselves Will Be Remembered In A Song**

It was blurry and slow as I stood in the battle field. There were cats caterwauling in agony as their opponent gave a victorious yowl. There were hisses of hostile judgment as well as growls of fury. Blood splattered mercilessly on the ground as cats fell into a motionless slumber in which they would not wake.

It was war, and my mind was especially equipped to take the stress that was brought along with the death and blood. It was why I was appointed deputy by Songstar, and it was why this battle did not bother me. I was able to slow everything down, and then pick my opponent easily. But there was something else on my mind.

Songstar was calling for me—I could hear it. But from where? I couldn't see anything through the blood and blurs—it was as if I was messing myself up with my war trained mind. I couldn't stop it though. Heck I could barely control it even when we weren't in a war. I was always alert and observant. It was just who I was.

I stood there, begging my senses to reach further for Songstar's voice. I heard the faint call—the faint plead for help. But I couldn't tell where it was coming from. When I looked right I found more StormClan cats. When I looked left I found more MaskedClan cats. When I looked forward I found nothing but the cats whom were tearing each other apart. When I looked behind me, I saw nothing but blood and the dead bodies of cats who were once great warriors.

I had never been so confused and fearful in my life. My leader was in danger, no matter if she had three lives left! I was her deputy, and I was determined to save her. But if I couldn't find her, how could I help her? I kept thinking to myself to calm down and let my senses pull me forward but my thoughts were the problem.

Finally, after taking a deep breath, I found which direction it was coming from. Immediately I ran in that direction, either jumping over or running around the battling cats that wouldn't stop unless someone yelled the retreat. This war was far from over though. This war was only beginning.

When I saw my leader, I halted instantly and gasped, my eyes wide. Four strong StormClan warriors had pinned down Songstar and was holding her there as she thrashed, trying to get out of their grip. I was puzzled, wondering why my leader was so weak when she was, well, a leader. Couldn't she defend herself?

Then I noticed her wounds. Deep and fatal, they were one of the worst I had ever known. In shock I ran forward, relying solely on my training to help me through this battle. When I attacked I got the StormClan cat's attention quickly. They yowled to their clan mates to fight me off instead, which I hissed irritably at.

One by one I flung them away, getting closer and closer to Songstar. However, the cats atop her were advancing, and they were in the process of killing her. My heart began to race as I pushed away my training, knowing nothing but the fact that my leader was dying.

I knew Songstar had three lives left, but there was something in her worried expression made me feel that she was telling me that she didn't. I felt like she was telling me that she was going to die, and that I needed to help her. So I pushed harder, trying to get past the blockade of cats surrounding me.

Several moments later, my muscles began screaming at me. My body told me to give up as my mind told me that she was going to die, and there was nothing I could do about it. I began to slowly stop what I was doing, looking at Songstar with a fatigued expression. Her eyes realized my exhaustion, and with a small smile, they closed, showing her forgiveness and her death.

With an evil laugh, the four cats upon Songstar stepped off of her, happy with what they'd accomplished. I lay on the ground with a yearning look toward Songstar, unaware of the many StormClan cats advancing on me. I didn't move, for I was still too shocked on the death that happened before me.

"Aren't you going to call a retreat, brave Smokestream?" asked a StormClan tom with a wicked smile on his face. "I don't think your clan is doing too well." As much as I knew his words were true, I made no movement to call a retreat. I was too wounded and exhausted to move.

As I lay there I continue to stare at Songstar's once perfect light brown fur. Now it was matted with blood and mud, two things that made her as imperfect as could be. Her white chest showed a large gash that could have been the death blow as her white legs showed her struggle for survival.

In curiosity I wondered if I looked like this. I was undoubtedly battered and covered in wounds, but did I really look that. . .deathly? This brought me to the thought of what would happen if I died, which seemed like it was going to occur. A new leader and deputy would appointed, but who would that be? Would they lead MaskedClan with pride? Would they end this war?

"Retreat!" yelled a cat whom I recognized as Eveningbird, a tom whom was quite capable of being Clan deputy now. "Songstar is gone! Reatreat!" I smiled with happiness as I saw MaskedClan leave, finally getting free of StormClan's grasp. Now the war was over, and now we would be able to recover.

Figuring that I might as well follow my clan back to came, I attempted to stand, but failed after realizing exactly how much blood I'd lost. In a gasp of shock, I fell to the ground, catching myself just in time. Did I have to be so weak at this very moment? Did I have to be so unfortunate?

Cats were blurred as they ran by, each one just taking one glance at me before continuing to run back to MaskedClan's camp. Could they even tell that I was dying? Did they even know? I continued to try and move, but after several moments, I came to the point where all I could do was lay and watch my clanmates abandon me.

Darkness was the only thing I could see for what seemed like moons. There were voices in which I couldn't comprehend, and sounds that would be counted as whispers. Anything else I knew was that I was in pain, and it wouldn't go away no matter how hard I tried to ignore it.

In this darkness I wondered exactly what was happening within my clan. We obviously lost in the battle and therefore no longer owned that piece of territory any more. But how many were dead? How many were seriously wounded? How many could no longer walk? I knew the casualties of war. I knew what could be happening.

When I finally started to wake up, I only got blurred glimpses of those around me. Some of Shadowcloud talking about how wounded I was. Some of Eveningbird coming to visit me, wondering exactly how I was going to become a leader in this state. There was even some of Birdpaw, my apprentice, wondering if I would ever be able to train her again. This angered me, but I still didn't wake.

Finally, my eyes and ears started working correctly, and so I woke, my eyes flickering away the darkness. Two cats were within the den—Leopardleap and Reedpaw. Both of them were medicine cats, and both of them got on my nerve. Especially now when they looked at me as if I were some helpless kit.

"Reedpaw, go get some more cobwebs and marigold," Leopardleap demanded after a few moments of silence. I growled lowly toward the she-cat as I stood, trying hard not to reopen the wounds that stung or show that I was weak. It was hard, but I managed to sit by the time Reedpaw returned.

Leopardleap walked toward me, but my eyes narrowed as they flashed with anger, just daring her to come any closer. The medicine cat sighed with frustration, but I didn't care. I wanted nothing to do with her, and to be honest, I think she thought the same of me.

"Smokestream, unless you want to learn how to do this on your own, deal with it," Leopardleap hissed, her eyes narrowed. "I've got better things to do and more wounds to heal, so can you please just put up with me until you're fit to become a leader?" My eyes narrowed as I growled lowly to show my offense.

"I will _not _become leader!" I hissed. "I don't deserve it nor do I want it!" Leopardleap jumped in surprise, her eyes narrowed in confusion. I knew that my refusal would have come as a shock to anybody, but it was the truth.

"What horrible thing did you do to make you think you cannot become a leader?" asked Leopardleap with narrowed eyes, pushing me now that she understood what was happening. "And why now, out of all times, are you hesitating to take Songstar's place? I remember when you became a deputy. You would have loved to be granted nine lives. Why not now?" My tail lashed as those distasteful words came to my ears.

"Shut up, Leopardleap!" I shouted, my voice suddenly becoming considerably higher as the anger boiled to the top. "You know nothing about what happened! Stop acting as if I'm a mentally ill kit!"

"But you are," Leopardleap growled, her eyes also narrowed, though it was more of a scowl as she tried to compose herself like a proud medicine cat. "Not only are you barely sixteen moons old, you just witnessed the death of your partner, and now you must take on the role that Songstar once did. No cat should have to go through that all in a moon, but you, Smokestream, must. We are at war with StormClan and will be for a long time. You are the only one to lead us, seeing as most of our strong warriors are too arrogant to properly take on the role." I growled lowly, but in my heart I knew she was right. I was the only one to lead MaskedClan, but how could I?

"How could anyone trust me now?" I asked, as a knot formed in my throat, creating a sore spot in my neck. "How could anyone trust me when I'm the reason Songstar didn't live?" Leopardleap rolled her eyes and sighed with annoyance.

"Let me guess. You weren't there to save Songstar, and now you think it's all your fault." Leopardleap muttered. My eyes looked away, unable to answer. This medicine cat must have known many battles, for she seemed to know everything about them. Even more than I did, for a change.

As memories flooded back to me in a wave of sadness, my head lowered. Songstar had died, and I had not been there to save me. How could anyone love me after that? Songstar was the second leader to _ever _have led this clan, the first being Mask. She was one of the best leaders known to these cats, and I watched her die in front of me.

"Songstar is dead. . .and it's all because of me. . ." I whispered, a few warm tears making their way down my cheeks before dripping onto the ground. "I watched her just. . .die. I tried but. . .it was pointless. . ."

"Oh for StarClan's sake get a life!" Leopardleap snapped, alarming me. My head shot up as my widened amber eyes looked to the elder medicine cat. "How much good will it do sitting around here feeling sorry for yourself? I know it's a lot but can't you just seek revenge instead of pity? StormClan now owns half of our territory and we need to get it back!" My eyes narrowed as she said this. As the anger returned, my fur bristled, and my ears shot back to my head.

"You wouldn't know the first thing about revenge or getting our territory back, half-blood!" I hissed loudly, my tail lashing. "And you just want me to feel revenge for StormClan so that you can go kill that sorry excuse for a deputy that you once called your mate! I've kept your secret, Leopardleap, but if you treat me like this don't expect me to hold it in any longer." With that I stood up, ignoring the infuriated medicine cat behind me.

I remembered the night that I ran into her. She'd been in a fight with StormClan's deputy, and nearly lost. However, I was loud enough to scare the mouse-brain away. That was only half of it though. Leopardleap had come up to me crying, and told me everything. I haven't told anyone, but I was beginning to doubt my decision to keep it a secret.

In any case, the bossy medicine cat had at least made me remember that I needed to choose a leader for MaskedClan. It would need to be a very strong tom or she-cat who was fit to take her place. It would shock the other leaders probably but I needed to do it if I was to be just another deputy. No. . .Just another warrior. I wasn't worthy of being deputy anymore in my mind.

Shadedrop. She was a very good she-cat, and very stealthy. Strong too. . .but, she was young, and she wasn't cut out for the job. As much as her intelligence would help the clan to get revenge on StormClan, she would be too young to carry out any other ceremonies or plans.

Mouseflight. . .She was my mentor, and she was very wise and intelligent. Her ability to plan things out and organize patrols would create the perfect leader. However, she was nearly an elder, and though many thought that she was a very good warrior, she wouldn't be able to fight for long, no matter how many lives she had.

Eveningbird. He seemed like a good cat. Strong and elegant, smart and healthy. To me he sounded perfect. Eveningbird never showed his fear, and he always seemed so composed to me. He was strategic too, so creating plans wouldn't be a problem for him. Plus, he had been the one to call out the retreat when they needed it. So to me, he was the one I needed to choose.

As if on cue, the dark golden tom padded into camp with a large rabbit in his mouth. He was probably the most healthy cat in the clan, it seemed, for he was only a bit wounded. I only noticed one black scar on his shoulder and a few scratches on his chest. Aside from that, Eveningbird seemed perfectly fit to become a leader.

I walked up to him slowly, trying to look a bit frail so he'd understand my story. After setting his prey in the fresh-kill pile, his head shot up to meet my eyes. With a kind smile he sat down, probably thinking that this was going to be a pleasant conversation between friends, since he and I were basically the same age.

"Nice day, isn't it?" he asked. "I personally haven't seen such a clear sky. Ever since the battle, anyway." My head lowered as I remembered how the day long battle ended. The kind tom frowned as he realized my uncomfortable expression, and so he put on the look of pity.

"I heard what happened, Smokestream," said Eveningbird quietly. "I-I'm sorry that you had to go through that. Songstar was a great leader, and to have to watch her die. . .that would probably break me. But what you have to remember is that even though death isn't kind, there is always a reason for it. Like with you. Maybe it was just Songstar's time, and maybe StarClan just wanted a strong leader with nine full lives to get back the territory StormClan claimed." I paused. This wasn't the pep talk I'd expected, or maybe I hadn't expected believing him. Either way, the thought of making him the next leader had been pushed away.

As Eveningbird left me alone to finish his warrior duties, I sat there, thinking about what he'd said. Was it possible that StarClan had really chosen this time for Songstar to die? That would be awful, because that would have meant they knew how I would feel afterword. Didn't think know how much it would hurt me?

But then came the second part. They chose _me _to begin another war, and to lead our clan through greatness. And I couldn't understand why. I mean, I had just thought of killing myself a few days ago, and then I wanted Eveningbird to take my place. Was I really worthy of being granted my nine lives?

As much as I wanted to refuse that this was even happening, something in my mind told me that I needed to lead MaskedClan. That irritating little voice told me that I must respect Songstar's death, and take her place so that this Clan will always remember her greatness.

With that thought, I smiled. Maybe it was destiny after all that I become MaskedClan's leader, and take back the territory that was rightfully ours.

My ears suddenly picked up a sweet melody, one that I had never heard before. Singing wasn't used in this clan often, heck I didn't know anyone who really sung, but this was definitely a song that someone full of grief was singing.

I turned my head to look at the small black she-cat near three crying apprentices whom I'd recognized as Songstar's kits. The she-cat that was singing didn't seem to be related to the previous leader, but she still seemed to be filled with enough sorrow to create the song. As her voice went louder, I listened.

_StarClan, oh StarClan, take care of us now_

_We've fought a big war that has not been kind_

_I think that we've made it through somehow_

_But now, in this death, we rewind_

_Our sisters, our brothers, and parents have gone_

_So please will you teach us how to let go?_

_The shadow of death looms over the bodies_

_And we begin crying for those that we owe_

_We pray for our leader, who's protected us so_

_Please keep her safe, so that we may let go_

_Our hearts still remember her kind honesty_

_And forever shall we live in her vast legacy_

_For those who have gone and for those who have stayed_

_There is always hope, no matter how roughly they've swayed_

_We pray for you always to help us get through_

_StarClan, oh StarClan, accept this thank you_

I smiled as the she-cat ended, and finally decided what I was going to do. I wasn't going to live in the past, and I was going to instead live in the future where I would always remember Songstar, but at the same time, lead her Clan when she could not. And, best of all, I was going to get revenge on StormClan. They were going to hurt for what they did to us.

And so my heart began to finally calm down as I walked toward the high rock, hoping to announce my leadership with ease while those around me cheered. I was going to take back the territory that was rightfully ours, and I was going to do it in the name of those who died in battle.

**|Cast|**

**Songstar – Mosssine**

**Smokestream – The Endless Hourglass**

**Mouseflight – AnonymousLullaby**

**Shadedrop – Molly of the Chazzin Clan**

**A/N: I do not own warriors. **

**Well, this is the first chapter for the 'Forum Clans' challenge by Megan Pinescar on the Warriors Challenge Forum. **

**-+- The Endless Hourglass, may time be with you.**


	9. The Challenges Of Life Part 2

**If You Listen, A Quiet Breeze Will Be Heard Through The Storm**

My eyes were widened with fear as I came to a halt. My mind was so busy with thoughts that I could barely register what was happening around me. Who was I supposed to fight? Could I take on a full warrior? Could I actually beat them? Was I going to die? What moves should I use?

Similar to the chaos going on in my head, was the war going on around me. Yowls of fury, hisses of anger, growls of irritation and determination, not to mention the cries of grief and pain. Blood seemed to drench every StormClan cat, and the only crimson stickiness the MaskedClan cat's seemed to have on their pelts was their opponents' blood, not theirs.

It was a full out war with MaskedClan again, and after a whole moon, they'd gotten stronger than when we fought them last. There were many more wounds on us than there were on them, and we were slowly retreating back into our original territorial markers. We were losing, and I couldn't believe my eyes.

A small golden she-cat suddenly crashed into me, forcing me to let out all the air I had. Breathless, I lay there, unable to move as the MaskedClan apprentice pinned me down. She didn't look like she wanted to fight—she didn't even look like she wanted to kill. So I wondered why exactly she was fighting me.

"Retreat, StormClan scum!" the apprentice hissed, digging her claws into my dark gray fur. I squirmed and cried as blood trickled down to the muddy ground. I hoped and wished my pleas were heard, for with every second came more pain, and I didn't know how long it was going to last.

Finally, instincts kicked in. My claws slashed right through the fur on the apprentice's chest, and my hind legs kicked hard into her stomach. In seconds the golden MaskedClan apprentice was off of me, crying in pain. We were too young to see this kind of war. How could Songstar force them into it? Heck, how could Thunderstep force us into taking MaskedClan territory in the first place?

I stared at the apprentice after standing up. She stayed frozen in pain, attempting to hide it, but she failed. After a few moments of silence from the two of us, the golden apprentice crouched low to the ground, her muscles tense with the readiness to attack. I copied her movements, hoping to win against this older she-cat.

As we stared at each other, waiting for the other to attack first, my mind wandered. Who was this she-cat? Would I ever know? Would she die today? Would I be the one to kill her? These thoughts had never come to my head before, but now that I was stopped and my mind was calm, they came into my head like a swarm of bees. Small unnoticeable things that would now bother me until the war was over.

Finally, the golden apprentice lunged, and without fully understanding what I was doing, I did as well. In moments we crashed into each other, clawing at each others belly's and snapping at each others throats. Eventually, in what seemed to be moons, we landed. I dug my claws into the moist mud so that I could keep standing.

When my eyes locked onto the golden apprentice once more, I found her retreating back to MaskedClan's camp with blood soaking her sleek fur. I nearly cried as I watched her disappear into the shadows of the night, because even though I had helped my clan, I had had to hurt another cat to do so. How could I be so cruel?

Because there was no cats around me, I stood up straighter and looked around to see if we were now winning. I was completely wrong, it seemed. The MaskedClan cats were surrounding the small amount of StormClan cats left, and to make it unbelievable, it was Smokestream who lead them.

This made my heart race. Where was Songstar? Did she retreat? Was this a secret battle? Was all of this war because of two greedy deputies who wanted nothing more than power? Did they even think about how many lives were lost and how many wounded warriors they'd caused?

Suddenly, a familiar cry of agony caught my attention, bringing me back to reality. A MaskedClan warrior had just left a crumbled ginger body dying on the ground, and because I knew this apprentice, I was shocked. I ignored everything around me, staring at the bloody body nearly seven fox lengths away from me.

"Flamepaw!" I screeched, alerting some of the MaskedClan cats around me. At once I darted forward, running as fast I could to reach my dying sister. No. She wasn't dying. She was going to live.

When I reached Flamepaw, her breathing had become shallow, and a pool of blood had formed around her. My heart began to race as I noticed the forty or so wounds around her stomach, one of them being the death blow. No. It wasn't the death blow. She was _going _to live!

"Flamepaw. . ." I murmured as my vision blurred. Tears began streaming down my face, but I was still determined that she was going to live. "You can't die. You won't! Come on, we'll get you to Juniperberry. . .Just hang on. . ." Flamepaw murmured something, and to my sorrow, I couldn't hear it. "Oh please. . .StarClan, don't take her. Please!"

"Hollypaw. . .d-dont cry. . ." Flamepaw rasped, finally loud enough for me to hear. Her words just made more tears erupt from my eyes. "I-I'm sti—still going. . .to be wi-with you. . .Y-you just ha-have to let. . .go." The tears wouldn't stop now. How could I let go? She was my sister! My idol! How could she die?

"StarClan, how could you?" I cried aloud. "How could you take her from me? Why not somebody else? She was my sister! How could you?" I was screaming at the end, and though I could see MaskedClan cats, they were all fighting stronger opponents, thinking of me as the weakling.

I waited by my sister and waited until her last breath exited her lungs. She was cold, and her body lay motionless in front of me. I continued crying, and though I knew that StormClan was losing and I was now on MaskedClan territory, I didn't move. I couldn't.

Suddenly, a familiar scent came to my nose, and surprised me. The scent was one I remembered from a long time ago, but who was it? I tried hard to remember, but my mind was too much in a haze to think correctly. So I turned around, ignoring the rain that had started to fall. Through the storm, I could see her. Through the battling cats, I could make out her outline. And through the awful scent of blood, I could smell the scent of roses.

"Is that. . .Breezestar?" asked a StormClan apprentice.

"I thought she was gone!" yowled Thunderstep angrily.

"She's come to help us, Hollypaw!" I heard Blazepaw call to me. "She's come to save us!" I nodded to my friend, finally standing after long moments of standing near my dead sister. Breezestar's arrival had given me hope, and for now, I would just have to leave Flamepaw until we came back to collect the dead.

I joined the rest of my clan, which was now few in numbers because most of us had run back to camp. At this one moment, the whole world seemed to be quiet. MaskedClan was watching as well, confused as to why Thunderstep was so angry that his leader was back. They waited, but the noble StormClan leader didn't seem to get any closer.

As the moments passed, whispers were passed around. I was beginning to wonder where Breezestar went, or if she was even there. The others seemed to be wondering this as well, but she was there, right in front of us. But why wasn't she helping us? Why wasn't she saving us?

Then in one moment, the outline and small vision of Breezestar was gone, leaving everyone to murmur and wonder what just happened. No one moved, as if trying to remember who was right there in front of them, or trying to understand why that cat was gone.

Suddenly, the clouds parted, and the rain stopped pouring down to soak my fur. The night sky was visible, leaving nothing but glittering stars that made me smile. It reminded me that StarClan was still watching over us, no matter how late they were.

"Well, what are you all waiting for?" asked Thunderstep from the StormClan group. "Breezestar hasn't returned, so we must fight!" With yowls of agreement, the StormClan warriors and apprentices charged forward, determination residing in their narrowed eyes as they ignored the fact they were out numbered. The MaskedClan cats began to fight as well, finding themselves with no other choice.

"Stop!" I screamed, trying to get their attention. But to no avail, they continued fighting, creating pools of blood once more as it mixed with the mud. In sheer determination, I narrowed my eyes, hoping to be louder this time. "Stop fighting! You're only making it worse!" Like last time, however, it was doing nothing to end the war.

I watched in horror as my clan mates were killing themselves by their pride and honor. Couldn't they just retreat? They were dying, and if the continued. . .I didn't want to know what would happen, so with a slow breath out to calm myself, I prepared to be ignored again. _StarClan, please help me. . ._

"Everyone, stop fighting!" I screeched. My voice had grown ten times louder, forcing a thundering echo to sound throughout the forest. The cats of the battle stopped fighting immediately, especially as they heard the echo of StarClan's agreeing pleas. Everyone looked at me with surprised eyes, and they were curious. What could I tell them?

"Be quiet, Hollypaw!" Thunderstep hissed after a few moments of silence. "You have no say in this matter! Go back to camp where you belong!" My eyes narrowed, growling lowly at the greedy deputy.

"No!" I yelled to him, my voice high pitched with the fear of being killed as well as the shock of being heard. Not to mention the anger I felt toward that traitor. "I won't! Can't you see? That was a sign that we should stop fighting! It was from StarClan!" Thunderstep scoffed.

"Oh yeah?" he said. "I thought only medicine cats got signs, and last time I checked, you weren't one, and neither is any of us. So I guess your plan to stop us from taking what is rightfully ours just failed." There were whispers that followed his words, though, and some of them were doubting his wisdom.

"This land isn't rightfully ours at all!" I shouted, my eyes narrowed with determination. "It's MaskedClan's territory—we had no right to steal it. You were just greedy! You thought that just because Breezestar was gone you could do whatever you wanted! Well look what you've done! Our whole clan is injured! And for what? A strip of territory that we don't even need!" There were whispers, murmurs, and accusations as I finished, leaving Thunderstep to retreat back a few steps.

"You don't know what you're talking about, kit," Thunderstep hissed. "Would you like to be exiled for your words?" That was when Smokestream stood up, her eyes narrowed with anger. This made Thunderstep growl with warning, as if he thought he was better than her.

"This was done without orders from Breezestar?" asked Smokestream, her amber eyes digging into his fur. The proud deputy stared into her eyes, challenging her strength which to me sounded suicide. I don't know why, but Smokestream just seemed so much stronger.

"I was doing it for my clan," Thunderstep answered, his eyes narrowed as they locked onto the honorable MaskedClan deputy. "Wouldn't you have done the same? You and I _are _alike, after all. Both being deputies and all that. And by the way, where is Songstar? Are you doing this against her will as well?" Smokestream looked into his eyes a bit longer before shaking her head.

"Thunderstep, you and I aren't alike at all," Smokestream growled, her tail flicking with annoyance. "Songstar is dead because of your horrific move a moon ago, and I am now Smokestar with my nine lives. Not only this, but I am not a cat who would force a clan to take lives and lose them for the selfish act of taking unnecessary territory." Yowls of agreement came from both StormClan and MaskedClan cats, all of them happy that Smokestar stood up to him.

In all truth, Smokestar's new name and lives surprised me. I always thought of Smokestar one to grieve over a death longer than a moon, but I guess I was wrong, because she looked stronger than when I saw her last. Heck, she looked stronger than us all, which was good.

"With those words, I will give you a deal," Smokestar said after the cheering had died down. "If you let my warriors take the territory you stole last moon, I will let _your _warriors retreat back to your camp. If not, we will begin fighting, and you will have to explain to Breezestar why you didn't take up my offer." There was a long moments of silence, making my growl angrily. Didn't Thunderstep see that this was the way to go?

Many warriors were whispering to each other, betting on what the stupid deputy would do. I personally knew and hoped that Thunderstep would accept the offer, because he wasn't that much of a mouse-brain, and this war had taken a lot on him, especially when he heard Songstar was dead.

"Fine, but don't expect me to help you in the future," Thunderstep growled. "One day, I _will _be leader. And in my days, don't expect me to help your precious MaskedClan cats." And with that, Thunderstep led the way back to camp. I followed, happy to hear cheers behind me, most of them being my name. I didn't know why everyone was so happy with my speech, but there were three words that I had in my thoughts.

_Thank you, StarClan._

**|Cast|**

**Hollypaw – xXThere ForeverXx**

**Blazepaw – Running Hopes And Dreams**

**Breezestar – Megan Pinescar**

**Thunderstep – ScourgexScarlet**

**Juniperberry – Mistkit of ThunderClan**

My eyes were widened with fear as I came to a halt. My mind was so busy with thoughts that I could barely register what was happening around me. Who was I supposed to fight? Could I take on a full warrior? Could I actually beat them? Was I going to die? What moves should I use?

Similar to the chaos going on in my head, was the war going on around me. Yowls of fury, hisses of anger, growls of irritation and determination, not to mention the cries of grief and pain. Blood seemed to drench every StormClan cat, and the only crimson stickiness the MaskedClan cat's seemed to have on their pelts was their opponents' blood, not theirs.

It was a full out war with MaskedClan again, and after a whole moon, they'd gotten stronger than when we fought them last. There were many more wounds on us than there were on them, and we were slowly retreating back into our original territorial markers. We were losing, and I couldn't believe my eyes.

A small golden she-cat suddenly crashed into me, forcing me to let out all the air I had. Breathless, I lay there, unable to move as the MaskedClan apprentice pinned me down. She didn't look like she wanted to fight—she didn't even look like she wanted to kill. So I wondered why exactly she was fighting me.

"Retreat, StormClan scum!" the apprentice hissed, digging her claws into my dark gray fur. I squirmed and cried as blood trickled down to the muddy ground. I hoped and wished my pleas were heard, for with every second came more pain, and I didn't know how long it was going to last.

Finally, instincts kicked in. My claws slashed right through the fur on the apprentice's chest, and my hind legs kicked hard into her stomach. In seconds the golden MaskedClan apprentice was off of me, crying in pain. We were too young to see this kind of war. How could Songstar force them into it? Heck, how could Thunderstep force us into taking MaskedClan territory in the first place?

I stared at the apprentice after standing up. She stayed frozen in pain, attempting to hide it, but she failed. After a few moments of silence from the two of us, the golden apprentice crouched low to the ground, her muscles tense with the readiness to attack. I copied her movements, hoping to win against this older she-cat.

As we stared at each other, waiting for the other to attack first, my mind wandered. Who was this she-cat? Would I ever know? Would she die today? Would I be the one to kill her? These thoughts had never come to my head before, but now that I was stopped and my mind was calm, they came into my head like a swarm of bees. Small unnoticeable things that would now bother me until the war was over.

Finally, the golden apprentice lunged, and without fully understanding what I was doing, I did as well. In moments we crashed into each other, clawing at each others belly's and snapping at each others throats. Eventually, in what seemed to be moons, we landed. I dug my claws into the moist mud so that I could keep standing.

When my eyes locked onto the golden apprentice once more, I found her retreating back to MaskedClan's camp with blood soaking her sleek fur. I nearly cried as I watched her disappear into the shadows of the night, because even though I had helped my clan, I had had to hurt another cat to do so. How could I be so cruel?

Because there was no cats around me, I stood up straighter and looked around to see if we were now winning. I was completely wrong, it seemed. The MaskedClan cats were surrounding the small amount of StormClan cats left, and to make it unbelievable, it was Smokestream who lead them.

This made my heart race. Where was Songstar? Did she retreat? Was this a secret battle? Was all of this war because of two greedy deputies who wanted nothing more than power? Did they even think about how many lives were lost and how many wounded warriors they'd caused?

Suddenly, a familiar cry of agony caught my attention, bringing me back to reality. A MaskedClan warrior had just left a crumbled ginger body dying on the ground, and because I knew this apprentice, I was shocked. I ignored everything around me, staring at the bloody body nearly seven fox lengths away from me.

"Flamepaw!" I screeched, alerting some of the MaskedClan cats around me. At once I darted forward, running as fast I could to reach my dying sister. No. She wasn't dying. She was going to live.

When I reached Flamepaw, her breathing had become shallow, and a pool of blood had formed around her. My heart began to race as I noticed the forty or so wounds around her stomach, one of them being the death blow. No. It wasn't the death blow. She was _going _to live!

"Flamepaw. . ." I murmured as my vision blurred. Tears began streaming down my face, but I was still determined that she was going to live. "You can't die. You won't! Come on, we'll get you to Juniperberry. . .Just hang on. . ." Flamepaw murmured something, and to my sorrow, I couldn't hear it. "Oh please. . .StarClan, don't take her. Please!"

"Hollypaw. . .d-dont cry. . ." Flamepaw rasped, finally loud enough for me to hear. Her words just made more tears erupt from my eyes. "I-I'm sti—still going. . .to be wi-with you. . .Y-you just ha-have to let. . .go." The tears wouldn't stop now. How could I let go? She was my sister! My idol! How could she die?

"StarClan, how could you?" I cried aloud. "How could you take her from me? Why not somebody else? She was my sister! How could you?" I was screaming at the end, and though I could see MaskedClan cats, they were all fighting stronger opponents, thinking of me as the weakling.

I waited by my sister and waited until her last breath exited her lungs. She was cold, and her body lay motionless in front of me. I continued crying, and though I knew that StormClan was losing and I was now on MaskedClan territory, I didn't move. I couldn't.

Suddenly, a familiar scent came to my nose, and surprised me. The scent was one I remembered from a long time ago, but who was it? I tried hard to remember, but my mind was too much in a haze to think correctly. So I turned around, ignoring the rain that had started to fall. Through the storm, I could see her. Through the battling cats, I could make out her outline. And through the awful scent of blood, I could smell the scent of roses.

"Is that. . .Breezestar?" asked a StormClan apprentice.

"I thought she was gone!" yowled Thunderstep angrily.

"She's come to help us, Hollypaw!" I heard Blazepaw call to me. "She's come to save us!" I nodded to my friend, finally standing after long moments of standing near my dead sister. Breezestar's arrival had given me hope, and for now, I would just have to leave Flamepaw until we came back to collect the dead.

I joined the rest of my clan, which was now few in numbers because most of us had run back to camp. At this one moment, the whole world seemed to be quiet. MaskedClan was watching as well, confused as to why Thunderstep was so angry that his leader was back. They waited, but the noble StormClan leader didn't seem to get any closer.

As the moments passed, whispers were passed around. I was beginning to wonder where Breezestar went, or if she was even there. The others seemed to be wondering this as well, but she was there, right in front of us. But why wasn't she helping us? Why wasn't she saving us?

Then in one moment, the outline and small vision of Breezestar was gone, leaving everyone to murmur and wonder what just happened. No one moved, as if trying to remember who was right there in front of them, or trying to understand why that cat was gone.

Suddenly, the clouds parted, and the rain stopped pouring down to soak my fur. The night sky was visible, leaving nothing but glittering stars that made me smile. It reminded me that StarClan was still watching over us, no matter how late they were.

"Well, what are you all waiting for?" asked Thunderstep from the StormClan group. "Breezestar hasn't returned, so we must fight!" With yowls of agreement, the StormClan warriors and apprentices charged forward, determination residing in their narrowed eyes as they ignored the fact they were out numbered. The MaskedClan cats began to fight as well, finding themselves with no other choice.

"Stop!" I screamed, trying to get their attention. But to no avail, they continued fighting, creating pools of blood once more as it mixed with the mud. In sheer determination, I narrowed my eyes, hoping to be louder this time. "Stop fighting! You're only making it worse!" Like last time, however, it was doing nothing to end the war.

I watched in horror as my clan mates were killing themselves by their pride and honor. Couldn't they just retreat? They were dying, and if the continued. . .I didn't want to know what would happen, so with a slow breath out to calm myself, I prepared to be ignored again. _StarClan, please help me. . ._

"Everyone, stop fighting!" I screeched. My voice had grown ten times louder, forcing a thundering echo to sound throughout the forest. The cats of the battle stopped fighting immediately, especially as they heard the echo of StarClan's agreeing pleas. Everyone looked at me with surprised eyes, and they were curious. What could I tell them?

"Be quiet, Hollypaw!" Thunderstep hissed after a few moments of silence. "You have no say in this matter! Go back to camp where you belong!" My eyes narrowed, growling lowly at the greedy deputy.

"No!" I yelled to him, my voice high pitched with the fear of being killed as well as the shock of being heard. Not to mention the anger I felt toward that traitor. "I won't! Can't you see? That was a sign that we should stop fighting! It was from StarClan!" Thunderstep scoffed.

"Oh yeah?" he said. "I thought only medicine cats got signs, and last time I checked, you weren't one, and neither is any of us. So I guess your plan to stop us from taking what is rightfully ours just failed." There were whispers that followed his words, though, and some of them were doubting his wisdom.

"This land isn't rightfully ours at all!" I shouted, my eyes narrowed with determination. "It's MaskedClan's territory—we had no right to steal it. You were just greedy! You thought that just because Breezestar was gone you could do whatever you wanted! Well look what you've done! Our whole clan is injured! And for what? A strip of territory that we don't even need!" There were whispers, murmurs, and accusations as I finished, leaving Thunderstep to retreat back a few steps.

"You don't know what you're talking about, kit," Thunderstep hissed. "Would you like to be exiled for your words?" That was when Smokestream stood up, her eyes narrowed with anger. This made Thunderstep growl with warning, as if he thought he was better than her.

"This was done without orders from Breezestar?" asked Smokestream, her amber eyes digging into his fur. The proud deputy stared into her eyes, challenging her strength which to me sounded suicide. I don't know why, but Smokestream just seemed so much stronger.

"I was doing it for my clan," Thunderstep answered, his eyes narrowed as they locked onto the honorable MaskedClan deputy. "Wouldn't you have done the same? You and I _are _alike, after all. Both being deputies and all that. And by the way, where is Songstar? Are you doing this against her will as well?" Smokestream looked into his eyes a bit longer before shaking her head.

"Thunderstep, you and I aren't alike at all," Smokestream growled, her tail flicking with annoyance. "Songstar is dead because of your horrific move a moon ago, and I am now Smokestar with my nine lives. Not only this, but I am not a cat who would force a clan to take lives and lose them for the selfish act of taking unnecessary territory." Yowls of agreement came from both StormClan and MaskedClan cats, all of them happy that Smokestar stood up to him.

In all truth, Smokestar's new name and lives surprised me. I always thought of Smokestar one to grieve over a death longer than a moon, but I guess I was wrong, because she looked stronger than when I saw her last. Heck, she looked stronger than us all, which was good.

"With those words, I will give you a deal," Smokestar said after the cheering had died down. "If you let my warriors take the territory you stole last moon, I will let _your _warriors retreat back to your camp. If not, we will begin fighting, and you will have to explain to Breezestar why you didn't take up my offer." There was a long moments of silence, making my growl angrily. Didn't Thunderstep see that this was the way to go?

Many warriors were whispering to each other, betting on what the stupid deputy would do. I personally knew and hoped that Thunderstep would accept the offer, because he wasn't that much of a mouse-brain, and this war had taken a lot on him, especially when he heard Songstar was dead.

"Fine, but don't expect me to help you in the future," Thunderstep growled. "One day, I _will _be leader. And in my days, don't expect me to help your precious MaskedClan cats." And with that, Thunderstep led the way back to camp. I followed, happy to hear cheers behind me, most of them being my name. I didn't know why everyone was so happy with my speech, but there were three words that I had in my thoughts.

_Thank you, StarClan._

**|Cast|**

**Hollypaw – xXThere ForeverXx**

**Blazepaw – Running Hopes And Dreams**

**Breezestar – Megan Pinescar**

**Thunderstep – ScourgexScarlet**

**Juniperberry – Mistkit of ThunderClan**


	10. The Challenges Of Life Part 3

**Fading Stars Will Reappear As A Shadow Looms Over Others**

"Duskpaw, must you be curious over so little things?" I heard someone yell behind me. I turned to face Cinderflash, a warrior whom was also on the border patrol I was.

She was a light gray she-cat that resembled the stones near the river, and her light blue eyes reminded me of lightning during the day. Cinderflash also had a darker gray color on her muzzle, paws, and ears that looked like storm clouds. Or snow clouds because of the white dash on her chest and her white tail tip. In my opinion, Cinderflash was a pretty cat and any tom would be lucky to have her.

"It's my first time out on a border patrol and though I've been here before while hunting with Fadedstar, I've never gotten the chance to scent everything out." I answered the gray warrior who just rolled her eyes in response.

"Just make sure to pay attention, alright?" Cinderflash told her. "Fadedstar wouldn't be happy if a fox killed you or a rouge wounded you." I nodded, though I didn't really take her words at heart. I mean, I understood where she was coming at, but I didn't want to listen. I was having too much fun to pay attention!

"Speaking of Fadedstar, have any of you scented her yet?" asked Burnclaw, the clan deputy. "She told us before she left that she was going to return from that patrol today, so I would keep an eye out for her." I nodded eagerly, now willing to pay full attention.

You see, Fadedstar was my mentor. I'm not sure why she chose me, but I'm happy she did because now all of my siblings and friends are jealous of me. When we were kits, all they did was ignore me, but now that I am an apprentice, they can't ignore me for a second because they know I have all the new gossip from Fadedstar.

"We'll keep a look out," said Echostream, a silver tabby she-cat with darker stripes. She also had bright blue eyes like Cinderflash, which made them nearly look like twins aside from the fact that Echostream was a silver tabby while Cinderflash was just gray.

Burnclaw nodded in understanding before continuing to mark the borders. I stayed near the back, making sure that I didn't miss my mentor. But, as always, I didn't even scent Fadedstar. It was disappointing, but I kept reminding myself that even though she wasn't coming today, she'll come back tomorrow.

The rest of the border patrol was boring. Everyone else had given up on finding Fadedstar, so they were going rather quickly, but that didn't matter to me. I still didn't have the attention span to follow them, so as always, I wondered off. At first I didn't notice that I was going away from the patrol, but after a few moments when I did notice, I just shrugged it off and hoped they would find me soon.

Suddenly a familiar scent came to my nose. My head shot up as I realized it, and when I found that it didn't belong to any of the patrol members, my heart began to race. Quietly and cautiously, I crouched low to the ground and let my dark silver caught blend into the frozen river behind me.

I waited quietly for the scent to come closer, and with my luck, it did. When I realized it was Fadedstar's scent, I shot up and darted over to my mentor, hoping she'd remember me. After all, she'd been gone for two whole moons on that stupid patrol to the highstones.

When I saw her, I gasped with surprise and happiness. Fadedstar was a slender ginger she-cat that resembled the sun in someways, though she seemed to be more like fire in my mind. Her fur grew lighter the closer it got to her tail, and her chest was a light golden color that looked like the dusk sky. That color was also found on her throat and stomach fur, though it was a bit darker and blended more with her ginger fur. She had one bright blue eye, and one gray-blue eye in which Fadedstar couldn't see out of. I never knew why she couldn't see out of that one eye, but I knew that someday I'll be getting an answer. I just have to keep asking.

"Fadedstar! You're back!" I said happily, nearly bouncing in my spot as the wise leader smiled warmly to me. "The border patrol I was on are looking for you, but since you didn't show we just continued. Do you think we should go find them?"

"Slow down, Duskpaw," said Fadedstar in her beautiful voice that made my smile wider. "I think we should go find the patrol, but first, why aren't you with them? Did you wander off again?" My head lowered with shame as my mentor once again found out what I was doing.

"Duskpaw, you know better than to wander off," Fadedstar told me. "But never mind that for now. We need to catch up to the patrol you were talking about." I brightened up as my mentor decided not to talk about my wandering off. At least now we would get back before dusk.

It didn't take long to find the border patrol, and it took even shorter to reach camp since they were already on their way home. Fadedstar was welcomed back by the patrol before they'd continued, and this reunion made me proud. Now everything would go back to normal.

When they all entered camp, there was cheering from even the smallest of cats. Fadedstar was well known, and since she'd been gone things hadn't been the same. I wasn't the only one who wanted her back, it seemed, and after two moons of her absence, we'd been wondering of she'd died on her journey or not.

I stuck to Fadedstar's side like honey on a warm day when she began accepting the 'welcome back's' and the other greetings she was to receive. I didn't want to leave my mentor in fear she would leave again, even though I _knew _that she was back for good this time.

When the sun began to set over the horizon, I was forced to stay below the high rock so Fadedstar could report what she and the other cats found. I was excited to hear what happened, but I knew that she could tell me while we were hunting too since she was my mentor. Right now I just wanted to stay by her side.

"All cats old enough to catch their own prey, gather here beneath the high rock for a Clan meeting!" Fadedstar called to her Clan. Most of them were already gathered, but there was a few cats returning from hunting trips and a few queens who'd stayed with their kits in the welcome.

"FadedClan, my journey to the mountains was beyond my most wonderful dreams," Fadedstar told the cats below after they'd gathered up into a crowd. "We have found valuable information on the creature that has been invading our territory, and I can assure you that it won't be here again. I am happy that I have returned safely, and I hope to resume my duties as Clan leader immediately. I'm also sad to say that on our journey, Wavefur was killed, and we shall grieve for MaskedClan and their loss." The clan murmured in agreement before Fadedstar dismissed them and jumped down from the high rock.

As I happily walked over to Fadedstar, I wondered what it was like in the mountains. No cat I knew had ever been there because of how dangerous it was, but since Fadedstar had survived I began to get curious. She would probably never answer my questions, though. I asked them too much when I was around her.

"Fadedstar, can we go back to training? I've been so bored with Burnclaw as my mentor!" I told her as my eyes lit up with excitement. The tall leader smiled warmly to me, probably noticing how hyper I was. At last, she gave me a nod.

"Of course, but not right now," Fadedstar told me with a yawn. "I'm tired, and I need to get some rest. You should too. You've have a long day, after all." I nodded, but there was no way I was going to sleep. Not with this eagerness within me. Not with this happiness.

So as Fadedstar disappeared into her den, I rushed over to the fresh-kill pile and decided to eat with Morningpaw, Cherrypaw, Dapplepaw, and Larkpaw.

"Good job, Duskpaw." I heard Fadedstar tell me as my jaws locked onto a sparrow. I'd killed it swiftly, and smoothly, just as my mentor had taught me. I proudly stood up straighter and turned to face my leader, who was smiling warmly to me like she always did. "That sparrow was young, but it was fast. Because of your quiet paws, however, you were able to catch it, and most apprentices at your age would not have. I congratulate you."

This made me even more proud, which inevitably caused me to trip on a tree root and fall on my face. What an impression. I sighed as I retrieved my sparrow, sitting with my head low as Fadedstar suppressed a laugh.

"Don't be ashamed, Duskpaw," Fadedstar told me. "Even the most clumsiest of cats have become fine warriors. And you just proved that by catching the sparrow." With that sentence, I stood up with a proud, yet happy smile on my face. Fadedstar just chuckled slightly.

"Let's return to camp now, alright?" said Fadedstar. "I'm exhausted, and I need to return to the clan to hear the border clan reports." I nodded in understanding. Being an apprentice of the leader was always like this. I didn't get half of the training the other apprentices go because of how busy she was. But it was worth it, because now all of the other apprentices literally loved me.

As I stood up, however, I heard something. Fadedstar must have missed it because I was the only one who turned my head to try and catch the sound again. The noble leader curiously waited for me to continue walking with her, but I didn't. That noise was too suspicious.

"Are you coming, Duskpaw?" asked Fadedstar after a few moments of silence. I turned my head to look at her while trying to decide what to say. I was too afraid she'd laugh at me if I said that heard something, but if I told her I didn't want to go she'd wonder why. Finally I figured it out.

"Um, can I stay and hunt?" I asked quietly, my voice barely above a whisper. Fadedstar curiously tilted her head, obviously wondering what I really wanted to do. But she wasn't pushing for the answer. In fact it looked like she was going to let me go.

"Why not leave the hunting patrols to it?" asked Fadedstar. My heart began to race as she questioned me, and the air suddenly felt warmer. I didn't really know how to answer this question, but luckily for me, I had a quick mind.

"I just want to practice on getting my tail lower," I said. "I don't want to wait until tomorrow, though, because by then Morningpaw will have completed all of her training!" Fadedstar purred with amusement at that sentence, hopefully noticing my determination, not my fear.

"Alright, I'll let you go," said Fadedstar. "Just watch out for trouble. Any sign of any danger and you are to run straight back to camp, understood?" I nodded with an excited look, waiting as patiently a I could as my mentor left. After she was out of sight, I turned around and tried to figure out where that nose came from. I hadn't heard it since, and that scared me.

Suddenly I heard it again, and this time it sounded more like a dying scream. As the adrenaline pulsed through me, my body began to get even more eager to find out what it was, and so I started running. The noise was fading quickly, but I had good enough ears to follow it.

I was so interested in what it was that time seemed to be going twice as fast while the scenery made it look like I was super fast. But I wasn't really paying attention to that. I was too busy trying to figure out where the sound came from. Was it a cat? A loner or kittypet maybe? Or was it even a dog?

When I stopped I began panting hard. I didn't waste any time on that, though. I quickly looked around, finding that the noise had stopped. At first I just turned around and began looking frantically for anything that was new to me. But I found nothing, so I continued by walking forward.

Then I heard a laugh. This laugh was an evil one, and I had never heard it before. It frightened me, but I still continued forward as curiosity got the best of me. I was slower this time, though, because I was much more cautious. When I saw where the laugh had come from, and where I'd heard the noise, I gasped.

Streakpetal was laying there, gasping for her dying breaths as her cream colored fur began soaking up the crimson blood. Her brown face showed her worried expression while her light green eyes grew wider and wider with fear. I stood there in shock, and as I looked up at the killer, my shock grew.

Burnclaw, the deputy of FadedClan, stood there, his amber eyes revealing his pleasure over the dying cat in front of him. His black fur showed no signs of having to fight Streakpetal for her death either, seeing as it lied flat on his skin. I couldn't believe my eyes as I looked at the scene in front of me. I just couldn't accept it.

The cold deputy left soon after that, and I made no attempt to follow him. Instead I continued to stare in shock until I forced myself to believe it. I walked slowly over to Streakpetal after that, my legs demanding that I stop because of how much I'd used them.

When I stood before Streakpetal, I found that she was already dead, and because of this I had to force back a tear. How evil could a cat be? How insanely cold could they get? Burnclaw was Clan deputy for StarClan's sake! I knew that I should have run away back to Fadedstar as soon as I'd found her, but I didn't want to. I couldn't, actually.

As I stood before Streakpetal's body, I found that there was a pool of blood forming around her. In seconds, the sticky liquid soaked into my paws, but I made no movement to shake it off. I was tired, mentally exhausted, and too deep into grief to care.

I sat there for moons it seemed, and as I did I thought of reasons Burnclaw could have done this. None came to mind, because even though I didn't know Burnclaw that well, I lived with him in the clan long enough to know that he was not a murderer. But he was. I saw him with my own eyes.

After a few hours I began licking Streakpetal's fur, trying to smooth it out as well as diminish the amount of blood on her fine fur. I knew it didn't make sense and that it would be better if I dragged her body back to camp but I didn't feel like nor did I want to. Streakpetal deserved to have her body clean when she was presented to StarClan.

Suddenly I heard more noises, though these were familiar. They were from FadedClan, and with luck, they were a patrol just passing by. I would need help cleaning the wounds anyways, since I didn't seem to be doing anything. I waited patiently for them to come, and when they did, it was not what I was expecting.

The patrol was quite large. Four cats plus Turtlesplash, our medicine cat and my mentor, Fadedstar. I stood up straighter, remembering my lessons of looking proud in order to look like I knew what I was doing. I was happy that Burnclaw wasn't there, but at the same time, I wish he was so I could tell the clan what he did.

When I looked around t o the patrol, I found that instead of being sad for Streakpetal, they were shocked, and they were all looking at me. I tilted my head in curiosity because I really didn't understand how they could get past grief so quickly. Even Fadedstar looked shocked.

"Duskpaw. . .how could you?" asked Fadedstar, her once noble voice cracked with shock and fear. I narrowed my eyes in confusion, now really bewildered on what was happening. Surely they didn't think _I _killed her? I'm just an apprentice!

"What do you mean?" I asked with an innocent voice. "I was just cleaning her wounds. I found her like this a few moments ago, and—"

"Your scent is stale over here," said Cinderflash, her blue eyes narrowed with anger. "You must have shown up a while ago. Why did you lie?" My eyes widened. They were coming at this all wrong!

"I-I know I've been here awhile, and I didn't mean to lie, but time has gone by so fast, and I—" My voice was choppy because of my fear, and judging by their expressions, they could scent my frightened state. "I found her dead, I swear it on StarClan's name!"

"Lying again, are you?" asked Echostream, a hostile look in her eye. "Your scent is all over Streakpetal, and look at the blood on your paws!" Hostile glares, angry looks, and threatening expressions were all facing me. They overwhelmed me, making my heart race with fear as I sat there.

"It was Burnclaw!" I said quickly. "He—he was here when I showed up, but left as soon as I came! I was just too tired to come and tell you guys!" There was a silence in the patrol, and as I looked to Fadedstar, I found that she looked torn between believing me and doing what was best for the Clan.

"Ha!" said Echostream. "What imagination you apprentices have these days! Hate to break it to you, but your story just doesn't add up. Burnclaw is a trusted warrior in our clan, unlike you, and he's deputy. He would never do anything like this, and the fact that his scent is absent proves it! How many lies will you tell to us, kit?" I frantically looked to the slowly approaching cats, searching for one cat who would understand. Just one cat who would save me. When my eyes fell upon Fadedstar, I stood up quickly and met her eyes.

"Fadedstar! Help me!" I called to her. "I didn't do it! I promise! Just please help me!" Fadedstar looked away, seeming to figure out what she was going to do. I waited in anxiousness, glancing around the clearing to each cat who nearly surrounded me. I wanted to run so badly, but I forced myself to stay still and go through this like a warrior.

I couldn't understand why this was hard for Fadedstar. I mean, she must believe me, right? I'm her own apprentice! She must trust me if even only slightly! There was no way I could do something like this! So why couldn't she just let me go on with life normally?

Finally the brave and noble leader looked back to me, her eyes showing her sadness, fear, and shock. These were expressions I never found on my mentor's face before, making me hope that it was a good thing, not a bad thing. But then again, something told me otherwise.

"I'm sorry, Duskpaw, but your story doesn't make sense," Fadedstar whispered. "You must leave and never return, for what you did is unforgivable to FadedClan." I stood there, my eyes widening all the way as I heard this. Fadedstar, my own mentor, was exiling me for something I didn't even do! I couldn't accept it, not even as the warriors grew closer and closer to me.

"Didn't you hear her, kit?" asked Echostream. "You're an outcast. Now beat it!" I gave a sorrowed look to Fadedstar before turning around and running. I ran as fast as I could, bringing my eyes to water even more than they already where.

I was done for. A small apprentice with nothing to do. I was an outcast because I was framed for murder. Would MaskedClan or PhoenixClan take me in now? No. They would think I'm worthless or a murderer, meaning I'm now on my own.

How could something so evil happen to me? Did StarClan really care about me? Did _anyone _really care about me? I wasn't going to live through leaf-bare on my own! And where would I stay? This world was huge, and I hadn't even been to a Clan meeting yet!

My mind wandered as I passed the FadedClan borders. I scented nothing of MaskedClan or PhoenixClan, so I was now somewhere that no Clan cat had ever been. Brilliant. There could be dogs for all I know, and yet, through all of this, they wouldn't even consider me being innocent. All because I had stayed. . .

As I continued running, I thought of how Fadedstar had reacted. She had been so sad, and yet she still had the nerves to exile me? How could she? After all she taught me and after all I was as an apprentice. She just dumped me, as if I were just a tool.

I tripped over something, making me tumble over and fall on my face. I stood up seconds later and continued crying, unable to run anymore. My legs were sore, my heart was aching, and my mind was foggy. There was no way I could go anymore.

The only sentence running through my head at that moment was 'How could she?'. There was a confused feeling within me, one I feared. It was a call for revenge. A call for proving my worth to them. But I just pushed it away, hoping never to feel it again.

But it felt so good. It gave me a reason to live. It gave me a reason to continue on. It gave me a reason to go back. My blood thirsted for it, but would getting revenge really solve anything? And how would I get it? Again, I pushed the feeling away, this time further into the back of my mind.

But wouldn't it be so great to show Fadedstar that I'm not her failure apprentice? Wouldn't it be great to show my parents and siblings that I'm not a killer? Wouldn't it be great to free my name of sin and push it onto Burnclaw? That wasn't revenge, though. That was suicide.

Revenge would be if I wanted to actually kill someone. Like Fadedstar. Oh how I hated her, but how could I kill her? I'm only nine moons old—what would a young one like me be doing killing a leader with more than four lives left? Besides, did I really hate her that much?

Yes. She didn't trust me. She disregarded me, exiled me, and branded me an outcast. How could she, after three moons of knowing me? How could she, after knowing that I would never do such a thing? Oh, right, to do what was best for her Clan. So I'm not good enough for her anymore?

Now revenge was the only thing on my mind. How could I get it though? Maybe I could build up my strength and stamina and then fight her. But then the whole clan would be after me. Maybe I could get a partner? They would still kill me.

Just taking one life would do it. It would pure her of her sins, and it would allow me to forgive her. So maybe getting stronger would do it.

With a smile on my face, I stood up, pushing myself as I looked for a place to sleep. When I am rested, I'll try to find a strong enough loner to help me, and then we can train together until I'm strong enough. When I return to FadedClan, I'll be stronger than my mentor ever was, and she'll never know it was coming.

Welcom my sweet, sweet revenge.

**|Cast|**

**Cinderflash – Cinder The Mockingjay**

**Duskpaw – Sparrowclaw of ThunderClan**

**Echostream – BoudicaFireheart**

**Fadedstar – Misgiving Writer**

**Streakpetal – Isi Writer**

**Turtlesplash – Reach For Me**

**Morningpaw – Amber342**

**Larkpaw – Spirits And Shadows**

**Cherrypaw – Sightless Silver Eyes**

**Dapplepaw – thepremaster22**

**Fading Stars Will Reappear As A Shadow Looms Over Others**

"Duskpaw, must you be curious over so little things?" I heard someone yell behind me. I turned to face Cinderflash, a warrior whom was also on the border patrol I was.

She was a light gray she-cat that resembled the stones near the river, and her light blue eyes reminded me of lightning during the day. Cinderflash also had a darker gray color on her muzzle, paws, and ears that looked like storm clouds. Or snow clouds because of the white dash on her chest and her white tail tip. In my opinion, Cinderflash was a pretty cat and any tom would be lucky to have her.

"It's my first time out on a border patrol and though I've been here before while hunting with Fadedstar, I've never gotten the chance to scent everything out." I answered the gray warrior who just rolled her eyes in response.

"Just make sure to pay attention, alright?" Cinderflash told her. "Fadedstar wouldn't be happy if a fox killed you or a rouge wounded you." I nodded, though I didn't really take her words at heart. I mean, I understood where she was coming at, but I didn't want to listen. I was having too much fun to pay attention!

"Speaking of Fadedstar, have any of you scented her yet?" asked Burnclaw, the clan deputy. "She told us before she left that she was going to return from that patrol today, so I would keep an eye out for her." I nodded eagerly, now willing to pay full attention.

You see, Fadedstar was my mentor. I'm not sure why she chose me, but I'm happy she did because now all of my siblings and friends are jealous of me. When we were kits, all they did was ignore me, but now that I am an apprentice, they can't ignore me for a second because they know I have all the new gossip from Fadedstar.

"We'll keep a look out," said Echostream, a silver tabby she-cat with darker stripes. She also had bright blue eyes like Cinderflash, which made them nearly look like twins aside from the fact that Echostream was a silver tabby while Cinderflash was just gray.

Burnclaw nodded in understanding before continuing to mark the borders. I stayed near the back, making sure that I didn't miss my mentor. But, as always, I didn't even scent Fadedstar. It was disappointing, but I kept reminding myself that even though she wasn't coming today, she'll come back tomorrow.

The rest of the border patrol was boring. Everyone else had given up on finding Fadedstar, so they were going rather quickly, but that didn't matter to me. I still didn't have the attention span to follow them, so as always, I wondered off. At first I didn't notice that I was going away from the patrol, but after a few moments when I did notice, I just shrugged it off and hoped they would find me soon.

Suddenly a familiar scent came to my nose. My head shot up as I realized it, and when I found that it didn't belong to any of the patrol members, my heart began to race. Quietly and cautiously, I crouched low to the ground and let my dark silver caught blend into the frozen river behind me.

I waited quietly for the scent to come closer, and with my luck, it did. When I realized it was Fadedstar's scent, I shot up and darted over to my mentor, hoping she'd remember me. After all, she'd been gone for two whole moons on that stupid patrol to the highstones.

When I saw her, I gasped with surprise and happiness. Fadedstar was a slender ginger she-cat that resembled the sun in someways, though she seemed to be more like fire in my mind. Her fur grew lighter the closer it got to her tail, and her chest was a light golden color that looked like the dusk sky. That color was also found on her throat and stomach fur, though it was a bit darker and blended more with her ginger fur. She had one bright blue eye, and one gray-blue eye in which Fadedstar couldn't see out of. I never knew why she couldn't see out of that one eye, but I knew that someday I'll be getting an answer. I just have to keep asking.

"Fadedstar! You're back!" I said happily, nearly bouncing in my spot as the wise leader smiled warmly to me. "The border patrol I was on are looking for you, but since you didn't show we just continued. Do you think we should go find them?"

"Slow down, Duskpaw," said Fadedstar in her beautiful voice that made my smile wider. "I think we should go find the patrol, but first, why aren't you with them? Did you wander off again?" My head lowered with shame as my mentor once again found out what I was doing.

"Duskpaw, you know better than to wander off," Fadedstar told me. "But never mind that for now. We need to catch up to the patrol you were talking about." I brightened up as my mentor decided not to talk about my wandering off. At least now we would get back before dusk.

It didn't take long to find the border patrol, and it took even shorter to reach camp since they were already on their way home. Fadedstar was welcomed back by the patrol before they'd continued, and this reunion made me proud. Now everything would go back to normal.

When they all entered camp, there was cheering from even the smallest of cats. Fadedstar was well known, and since she'd been gone things hadn't been the same. I wasn't the only one who wanted her back, it seemed, and after two moons of her absence, we'd been wondering of she'd died on her journey or not.

I stuck to Fadedstar's side like honey on a warm day when she began accepting the 'welcome back's' and the other greetings she was to receive. I didn't want to leave my mentor in fear she would leave again, even though I _knew _that she was back for good this time.

When the sun began to set over the horizon, I was forced to stay below the high rock so Fadedstar could report what she and the other cats found. I was excited to hear what happened, but I knew that she could tell me while we were hunting too since she was my mentor. Right now I just wanted to stay by her side.

"All cats old enough to catch their own prey, gather here beneath the high rock for a Clan meeting!" Fadedstar called to her Clan. Most of them were already gathered, but there was a few cats returning from hunting trips and a few queens who'd stayed with their kits in the welcome.

"FadedClan, my journey to the mountains was beyond my most wonderful dreams," Fadedstar told the cats below after they'd gathered up into a crowd. "We have found valuable information on the creature that has been invading our territory, and I can assure you that it won't be here again. I am happy that I have returned safely, and I hope to resume my duties as Clan leader immediately. I'm also sad to say that on our journey, Wavefur was killed, and we shall grieve for MaskedClan and their loss." The clan murmured in agreement before Fadedstar dismissed them and jumped down from the high rock.

As I happily walked over to Fadedstar, I wondered what it was like in the mountains. No cat I knew had ever been there because of how dangerous it was, but since Fadedstar had survived I began to get curious. She would probably never answer my questions, though. I asked them too much when I was around her.

"Fadedstar, can we go back to training? I've been so bored with Burnclaw as my mentor!" I told her as my eyes lit up with excitement. The tall leader smiled warmly to me, probably noticing how hyper I was. At last, she gave me a nod.

"Of course, but not right now," Fadedstar told me with a yawn. "I'm tired, and I need to get some rest. You should too. You've have a long day, after all." I nodded, but there was no way I was going to sleep. Not with this eagerness within me. Not with this happiness.

So as Fadedstar disappeared into her den, I rushed over to the fresh-kill pile and decided to eat with Morningpaw, Cherrypaw, Dapplepaw, and Larkpaw.

"Good job, Duskpaw." I heard Fadedstar tell me as my jaws locked onto a sparrow. I'd killed it swiftly, and smoothly, just as my mentor had taught me. I proudly stood up straighter and turned to face my leader, who was smiling warmly to me like she always did. "That sparrow was young, but it was fast. Because of your quiet paws, however, you were able to catch it, and most apprentices at your age would not have. I congratulate you."

This made me even more proud, which inevitably caused me to trip on a tree root and fall on my face. What an impression. I sighed as I retrieved my sparrow, sitting with my head low as Fadedstar suppressed a laugh.

"Don't be ashamed, Duskpaw," Fadedstar told me. "Even the most clumsiest of cats have become fine warriors. And you just proved that by catching the sparrow." With that sentence, I stood up with a proud, yet happy smile on my face. Fadedstar just chuckled slightly.

"Let's return to camp now, alright?" said Fadedstar. "I'm exhausted, and I need to return to the clan to hear the border clan reports." I nodded in understanding. Being an apprentice of the leader was always like this. I didn't get half of the training the other apprentices go because of how busy she was. But it was worth it, because now all of the other apprentices literally loved me.

As I stood up, however, I heard something. Fadedstar must have missed it because I was the only one who turned my head to try and catch the sound again. The noble leader curiously waited for me to continue walking with her, but I didn't. That noise was too suspicious.

"Are you coming, Duskpaw?" asked Fadedstar after a few moments of silence. I turned my head to look at her while trying to decide what to say. I was too afraid she'd laugh at me if I said that heard something, but if I told her I didn't want to go she'd wonder why. Finally I figured it out.

"Um, can I stay and hunt?" I asked quietly, my voice barely above a whisper. Fadedstar curiously tilted her head, obviously wondering what I really wanted to do. But she wasn't pushing for the answer. In fact it looked like she was going to let me go.

"Why not leave the hunting patrols to it?" asked Fadedstar. My heart began to race as she questioned me, and the air suddenly felt warmer. I didn't really know how to answer this question, but luckily for me, I had a quick mind.

"I just want to practice on getting my tail lower," I said. "I don't want to wait until tomorrow, though, because by then Morningpaw will have completed all of her training!" Fadedstar purred with amusement at that sentence, hopefully noticing my determination, not my fear.

"Alright, I'll let you go," said Fadedstar. "Just watch out for trouble. Any sign of any danger and you are to run straight back to camp, understood?" I nodded with an excited look, waiting as patiently a I could as my mentor left. After she was out of sight, I turned around and tried to figure out where that nose came from. I hadn't heard it since, and that scared me.

Suddenly I heard it again, and this time it sounded more like a dying scream. As the adrenaline pulsed through me, my body began to get even more eager to find out what it was, and so I started running. The noise was fading quickly, but I had good enough ears to follow it.

I was so interested in what it was that time seemed to be going twice as fast while the scenery made it look like I was super fast. But I wasn't really paying attention to that. I was too busy trying to figure out where the sound came from. Was it a cat? A loner or kittypet maybe? Or was it even a dog?

When I stopped I began panting hard. I didn't waste any time on that, though. I quickly looked around, finding that the noise had stopped. At first I just turned around and began looking frantically for anything that was new to me. But I found nothing, so I continued by walking forward.

Then I heard a laugh. This laugh was an evil one, and I had never heard it before. It frightened me, but I still continued forward as curiosity got the best of me. I was slower this time, though, because I was much more cautious. When I saw where the laugh had come from, and where I'd heard the noise, I gasped.

Streakpetal was laying there, gasping for her dying breaths as her cream colored fur began soaking up the crimson blood. Her brown face showed her worried expression while her light green eyes grew wider and wider with fear. I stood there in shock, and as I looked up at the killer, my shock grew.

Burnclaw, the deputy of FadedClan, stood there, his amber eyes revealing his pleasure over the dying cat in front of him. His black fur showed no signs of having to fight Streakpetal for her death either, seeing as it lied flat on his skin. I couldn't believe my eyes as I looked at the scene in front of me. I just couldn't accept it.

The cold deputy left soon after that, and I made no attempt to follow him. Instead I continued to stare in shock until I forced myself to believe it. I walked slowly over to Streakpetal after that, my legs demanding that I stop because of how much I'd used them.

When I stood before Streakpetal, I found that she was already dead, and because of this I had to force back a tear. How evil could a cat be? How insanely cold could they get? Burnclaw was Clan deputy for StarClan's sake! I knew that I should have run away back to Fadedstar as soon as I'd found her, but I didn't want to. I couldn't, actually.

As I stood before Streakpetal's body, I found that there was a pool of blood forming around her. In seconds, the sticky liquid soaked into my paws, but I made no movement to shake it off. I was tired, mentally exhausted, and too deep into grief to care.

I sat there for moons it seemed, and as I did I thought of reasons Burnclaw could have done this. None came to mind, because even though I didn't know Burnclaw that well, I lived with him in the clan long enough to know that he was not a murderer. But he was. I saw him with my own eyes.

After a few hours I began licking Streakpetal's fur, trying to smooth it out as well as diminish the amount of blood on her fine fur. I knew it didn't make sense and that it would be better if I dragged her body back to camp but I didn't feel like nor did I want to. Streakpetal deserved to have her body clean when she was presented to StarClan.

Suddenly I heard more noises, though these were familiar. They were from FadedClan, and with luck, they were a patrol just passing by. I would need help cleaning the wounds anyways, since I didn't seem to be doing anything. I waited patiently for them to come, and when they did, it was not what I was expecting.

The patrol was quite large. Four cats plus Turtlesplash, our medicine cat and my mentor, Fadedstar. I stood up straighter, remembering my lessons of looking proud in order to look like I knew what I was doing. I was happy that Burnclaw wasn't there, but at the same time, I wish he was so I could tell the clan what he did.

When I looked around t o the patrol, I found that instead of being sad for Streakpetal, they were shocked, and they were all looking at me. I tilted my head in curiosity because I really didn't understand how they could get past grief so quickly. Even Fadedstar looked shocked.

"Duskpaw. . .how could you?" asked Fadedstar, her once noble voice cracked with shock and fear. I narrowed my eyes in confusion, now really bewildered on what was happening. Surely they didn't think _I _killed her? I'm just an apprentice!

"What do you mean?" I asked with an innocent voice. "I was just cleaning her wounds. I found her like this a few moments ago, and—"

"Your scent is stale over here," said Cinderflash, her blue eyes narrowed with anger. "You must have shown up a while ago. Why did you lie?" My eyes widened. They were coming at this all wrong!

"I-I know I've been here awhile, and I didn't mean to lie, but time has gone by so fast, and I—" My voice was choppy because of my fear, and judging by their expressions, they could scent my frightened state. "I found her dead, I swear it on StarClan's name!"

"Lying again, are you?" asked Echostream, a hostile look in her eye. "Your scent is all over Streakpetal, and look at the blood on your paws!" Hostile glares, angry looks, and threatening expressions were all facing me. They overwhelmed me, making my heart race with fear as I sat there.

"It was Burnclaw!" I said quickly. "He—he was here when I showed up, but left as soon as I came! I was just too tired to come and tell you guys!" There was a silence in the patrol, and as I looked to Fadedstar, I found that she looked torn between believing me and doing what was best for the Clan.

"Ha!" said Echostream. "What imagination you apprentices have these days! Hate to break it to you, but your story just doesn't add up. Burnclaw is a trusted warrior in our clan, unlike you, and he's deputy. He would never do anything like this, and the fact that his scent is absent proves it! How many lies will you tell to us, kit?" I frantically looked to the slowly approaching cats, searching for one cat who would understand. Just one cat who would save me. When my eyes fell upon Fadedstar, I stood up quickly and met her eyes.

"Fadedstar! Help me!" I called to her. "I didn't do it! I promise! Just please help me!" Fadedstar looked away, seeming to figure out what she was going to do. I waited in anxiousness, glancing around the clearing to each cat who nearly surrounded me. I wanted to run so badly, but I forced myself to stay still and go through this like a warrior.

I couldn't understand why this was hard for Fadedstar. I mean, she must believe me, right? I'm her own apprentice! She must trust me if even only slightly! There was no way I could do something like this! So why couldn't she just let me go on with life normally?

Finally the brave and noble leader looked back to me, her eyes showing her sadness, fear, and shock. These were expressions I never found on my mentor's face before, making me hope that it was a good thing, not a bad thing. But then again, something told me otherwise.

"I'm sorry, Duskpaw, but your story doesn't make sense," Fadedstar whispered. "You must leave and never return, for what you did is unforgivable to FadedClan." I stood there, my eyes widening all the way as I heard this. Fadedstar, my own mentor, was exiling me for something I didn't even do! I couldn't accept it, not even as the warriors grew closer and closer to me.

"Didn't you hear her, kit?" asked Echostream. "You're an outcast. Now beat it!" I gave a sorrowed look to Fadedstar before turning around and running. I ran as fast as I could, bringing my eyes to water even more than they already where.

I was done for. A small apprentice with nothing to do. I was an outcast because I was framed for murder. Would MaskedClan or PhoenixClan take me in now? No. They would think I'm worthless or a murderer, meaning I'm now on my own.

How could something so evil happen to me? Did StarClan really care about me? Did _anyone _really care about me? I wasn't going to live through leaf-bare on my own! And where would I stay? This world was huge, and I hadn't even been to a Clan meeting yet!

My mind wandered as I passed the FadedClan borders. I scented nothing of MaskedClan or PhoenixClan, so I was now somewhere that no Clan cat had ever been. Brilliant. There could be dogs for all I know, and yet, through all of this, they wouldn't even consider me being innocent. All because I had stayed. . .

As I continued running, I thought of how Fadedstar had reacted. She had been so sad, and yet she still had the nerves to exile me? How could she? After all she taught me and after all I was as an apprentice. She just dumped me, as if I were just a tool.

I tripped over something, making me tumble over and fall on my face. I stood up seconds later and continued crying, unable to run anymore. My legs were sore, my heart was aching, and my mind was foggy. There was no way I could go anymore.

The only sentence running through my head at that moment was 'How could she?'. There was a confused feeling within me, one I feared. It was a call for revenge. A call for proving my worth to them. But I just pushed it away, hoping never to feel it again.

But it felt so good. It gave me a reason to live. It gave me a reason to continue on. It gave me a reason to go back. My blood thirsted for it, but would getting revenge really solve anything? And how would I get it? Again, I pushed the feeling away, this time further into the back of my mind.

But wouldn't it be so great to show Fadedstar that I'm not her failure apprentice? Wouldn't it be great to show my parents and siblings that I'm not a killer? Wouldn't it be great to free my name of sin and push it onto Burnclaw? That wasn't revenge, though. That was suicide.

Revenge would be if I wanted to actually kill someone. Like Fadedstar. Oh how I hated her, but how could I kill her? I'm only nine moons old—what would a young one like me be doing killing a leader with more than four lives left? Besides, did I really hate her that much?

Yes. She didn't trust me. She disregarded me, exiled me, and branded me an outcast. How could she, after three moons of knowing me? How could she, after knowing that I would never do such a thing? Oh, right, to do what was best for her Clan. So I'm not good enough for her anymore?

Now revenge was the only thing on my mind. How could I get it though? Maybe I could build up my strength and stamina and then fight her. But then the whole clan would be after me. Maybe I could get a partner? They would still kill me.

Just taking one life would do it. It would pure her of her sins, and it would allow me to forgive her. So maybe getting stronger would do it.

With a smile on my face, I stood up, pushing myself as I looked for a place to sleep. When I am rested, I'll try to find a strong enough loner to help me, and then we can train together until I'm strong enough. When I return to FadedClan, I'll be stronger than my mentor ever was, and she'll never know it was coming.

Welcom my sweet, sweet revenge.

**|Cast|**

**Cinderflash – Cinder The Mockingjay**

**Duskpaw – Sparrowclaw of ThunderClan**

**Echostream – BoudicaFireheart**

**Fadedstar – Misgiving Writer**

**Streakpetal – Isi Writer**

**Turtlesplash – Reach For Me**

**Morningpaw – Amber342**

**Larkpaw – Spirits And Shadows**

**Cherrypaw – Sightless Silver Eyes**

**Dapplepaw – thepremaster22**


	11. The Nightmare That Brought Us Together

A cold chilling sensation, rushing through the bodies of the two locked stares. Is that what love is? A simple feeling that sends shivers to the cats partnered? A simple emotion that leads us to generation after genteration, and to the circle of life?

No. I may have ice in my words, but I do not feel this.

A sense of being pulled to the other, without a second thought. Is this what love is? A simple force of fate that will never end or finish without having finally met it's mate? An unchangable and unfixable destiny that will always be apart of our lives?

Defintely not, or I would have found her moons ago.

Happiness, and paradise where most cannot find it. Is _this _what love is? A simple relaxed feeling after a stressful day? An emotion found by observation instead of oblivous thoughts? A time to stop and think, and then to finally find something you'll forever be with?

No, because I still haven't found that paradise.

Light in the shadows that has once shaded the good. Coud this be what love is? A pure cat brining out the happiness and joy of one lost in grief and anger? The only hope to bringing back the lost souls of a forgotten world?

Absolutely not. This is not what we are.

But. . .could combining these feelings create the definition of love? Could twining the fine threads together create a quilt of reality? Could the simplicity of joining together sensation, force, paradise, and light be the reason for my unexplainable change of thought?

It seems so. But if this is the case, and it is just as simple as this, how can we explain why love is so difficult to understand, even if we have figured this much out? Do simple words mean anything anymore, or is it the action that creates the feeling? I'm not sure. But there's one thing I am certain of.

_I have fallen for the way of romance._

It was quite a normal day in ThunderClan. The trees were lit up brightly by the rising sun that shined over the shadowed horizon. Though the rays of the sun leaked through the cracks of the den, it did not warm the cool air completely. It simply made it bearable, which was a splendid feeling to those who had witness the long leaf-bare that had shortly passed.

In the apprentices' den lay only three small figures. Just three moons ago there had been several more, but because of a green-cough outbreak, many had died, leaving just the three apprentices to quickly run around and successfully accomplish finishing their exhausting duties around the clan.

A sudden movement came from an average sized dark gray tom near the back of the den. The young cat shot up with a start, sitting up as he looked at his paws. His sharp amber eyes were wide open, an obvious expression of fear overpowering anything else he'd been feeling. His lungs were inhaling and exhaling at a rapid pace, leaving anyone to realize that he had just witnessed a horrible nightmare.

"It was just a dream. . .It was just a dream. . ." whispered the dark gray tom, his breathing becoming more steady as his tensed muscles started to relax. He was repeating something the medicine cat had told him to recite every time he was awoken from his awful dreams. It was automatic now, because though it helped calm him down, it never made the realistic nightmares go away.

The dark gray tom blinked his eyes two times, forcing his breathing to return to it's peaceful state and his eyes to become normal. This was hard, considering the only thing he could think of was the dream, but he pushed himself mentally, knowing that it would help in the long run. It was what he did every morning for the past three moons.

An empty sigh escaped the tom's lips as he continued to look at his paws. His eyes showed his misty mind, and the pain in his body that had ceased - though had not completely disappeared - exhausted him. Those nightmares made him fatigued, but he couldn't make them go away. They would never vanish, not even if he forgot the memory.

"Smokepaw?" asked a soft voice behind him that sounded desperate and pitiful. "Are you alright?" The dark gray tom ignored the question for a few moments, still trying to completely achieve calmness once again. He didn't want to sound weak in front of Pebblepaw, not when she had so much to process in her dreams as well.

Pebblepaw was only a half moon younger than he was, and though his nightmares were a lot more physical, hers were on the mental side. Her eyes always drooped, and they showed the signs of exhaustion and concentration. She always seemed to be thinking, as if planning something different each day.

"I-I'm fine," Smokepaw lied, his once loud and pronounced voice now soft and quiet with fear and depression. "Just the same as yesterday morning, Pebblepaw. Nothing to worry about. . ." Silence followed his answer, because though it was a convincing lie to an outsider, it was useless to Pebblepaw, for she could not only tell when one was lying, she knew exactly how he felt, and that was not 'fine'.

As the silence continued, Smokepaw became anxious, aware of the saddened eyes staring at his back. Because of this, he stood up, uncomfortable for the reason that he had made his best friend remember the sorrow from those many moons ago. He knew how it felt to remember, and he didn't want the young she-cat to witness it as many times as he did.

Smokepaw turned around, giving a half-hearted smile to the small tortoiseshell she-cat, hoping to cheer her up. However, he found her head bowed, looking to the ground with her beautiful blue eyes that seemed brighter than the sunhigh sky. Smokepaw panicked for a second, having no idea what to do in the situation he was in.

Did he need to comfort her or leave her alone? Did he need to show affection or would that make it worse? Did he need to remind her that they were on the dawn patrol to distract her, or did he need to say something that would bring her out of her thoughts? StarClan, she-cats were so confusing!

"I'm sorry!" he blurted out suddenly, making him sound completely mouse-brained. Pebblepaw looked up to him, her eyes narrowed in confusion and curiosity as he stared at the young apprentice with an embarrassed expression. "I-I mean, I really shouldn't have - well, saying that was really - I forgot about - I probably should have -" Smokepaw cut himself short as he heard Pebblepaw giggling. It was a sound he hadn't ever heard from her.

At first, the young tom was unmistakably confused. Just a few moments ago, the tortoiseshell had been on the verge of shedding a thousand tears that probably wouldn't stop after it started. But now, there was a happy smile on her face that showed him she wasn't thinking of the dreams anymore. Not even the reality the nightmares came from even. The only thing she seemed to notice was his loss for words.

Smokepaw stared at Pebblepaw as she continued laughing, trying hard to figure out how she was able to become happy in such little time. He wanted to learn how she did it, for at the moment, though his thoughts were masking the memory, he couldn't laugh. Not like this, anyway.

"What?" he finally asked, still forcing himself to try to understand her sudden burst of laughter. She continued giggling, a smile on her face that made Smokepaw envious. At first, she acted as if she hadn't heard them, but eventually Pebblepaw slowly stopped giggling.

"Nothing!" she stated, making his mind just tie itself in a tighter knot of confusion. "It's just - after so many mornings of waking up so - so serious, hearing you say something so - so funny is just so relieving! You don't know how good it is to laugh again!" She'd finally stopped giggling at this point, and was giving him a enormous smile that showed off her personality. So happy. . .so peaceful. . .

As before, Smokepaw had no idea what to make of this. Laughing as what had made her so happy? No, he was what made her laugh, which in turn made her happy. But, why, though? How could a laugh make her so happy? He understood a bit, because he knew how long it had been since either of them had smiled, but still, he was confused.

It was then that a tall black tom entered the den, his intense yellow eyes staring at the two apprentice with a frown of concentration in his expression. The tom was strong for being so thinly boned, and it made him an excellent deputy, also because of his speed.

"Good, you're up," said the black tom, feeling quite relieved now that he realized that Smokepaw and Pebblepaw were both standing right in front of him. It was always a very. . ._dangerous_ job to wake up either of them because of their dreams. A warrior once ended up going to the medicine den because Smokepaw had nearly tore his nose off.

"Dawn patrol?" Smokepaw guessed, yawning after a few moments with a fatiuged expression still residing on his face. It was normal for him to assume stuff, because usually he just wanted the conversation to end so that he could hurry up and do his chores. Not that Smokepaw liked doing them, it was just that he wanted to be finished so that he could rest and pray that he get some real sleep instead of having to relive one of the most horrible memories of his life.

"No, I figured Jayvine and Adderwillow could do that," the black tom answered him, which surprised Smokepaw and Pebblepaw. The two apprentices glanced at each other before looking back to the mentor who seemed quite proud of himself for whatever reason. Sensing their confused feelings, ThunderClan's deputy continued. "What? Can't a father do something for his kit?" He was looking mainly to Pebblepaw when he said this.

"Spiderstorm, you're the deputy, so you'll always have a reason to take us off the dawn patrol. It's your job." Pebblepaw finished with a smile on her face, which made her father grin proudly, as if expressing that he'd finally reached his goal of making his daughter smile. Little did the deputy know, however, that it was Smokepaw who had gotten her in such a good mood.

"Well, there _is_ actually a reason I took you off of the patrol," said Spiderstorm, looking to both of the apprentices. "I've been neglecting to train you, Smokepaw, and so has your mentor, Pebblepaw. I think it's high time we actually teach you something instead of sending you on patrols and ordering you to clean the elders' den." Smokepaw gave a surprised yet excited look that nearly matched Pebblepaw's, though his seemed more curious and suspicious than hers.

It was true. Because there had been so little apprentices left after. . ._that, _Smokepaw and Pebblepaw's training had been continued to be put off in need of assistance in the clan. Not only that, but no one wanted to deal with the misty minded apprentices who were always exhausted and sometimes moody. Spiderstorm must have believed that they'd be over it by now, for asking them to go training was like asking a badger to move in most of their clanmates point of views.

"That sounds fun!" said Pebblepaw, a smile continuing to push away the memory that he knew was some where in her head. "I haven't tried the rearing move in moons! I hope I'm still the best at it!" The sparkle in her eye really made Smokepaw happier, though he only nodded when Spiderstorm looked to him to see what he wanted. Sure, it was exciting, but it was a lot of work, and Smokepaw knew they would have many chores when they returned.

"Great!" said the carefree deputy. "Go get your brother up, Pebblepaw, and I'll go wake Ravenshade and Graysand." With a studied look to Smokepaw, Spiderstorm left, a sudden uneasy expression on his face. Smokepaw knew that the deputy must have been having second thoughts on training the most sleep deprived apprentice in all the clans, but at the same time, Smokepaw knew that Spiderstorm would be able to handle him.

Pebblepaw gave a look of excitement before letting out a small squeak. She was obviously eagerly awaiting the training day, even if it was going to end in them staying up till moonhigh. That was the thing about Pebblepaw - she always had a way of stopping the worry that forever haunted Smokepaw and his thoughts.

The tortoiseshell apprentice bounced over to her brother with one leap, using her powerful legs to go far. She quickly nudged the tom, not too harshly, because she was one of the kinder cats who wanted to be patient. However, that seemed impossible right now.

"Nettlepaw, wake up!" said Pebblepaw, louder than she probably should have as she gave him a very, very hard push that nearly made him roll over onto his other side. The light brown apprentice woke up with a shocked expression, seeming to be startled by his sister's rude alarm.

The stocky tom glared at his sister after a few moments, though it wasn't in a mean way. They used to do this all of the time to each other when they were kits, and Smokepaw had had fun watching as the angry brother tried to catch his quick sister who usually hid behind a warrior or climbed atop a den stating that she was faster and much more agile than Nettlepaw was, which was true.

"Oh lighten up!" Pebblepaw told his brother, who blinked at her sudden cheerful mood. Nettlepaw was used to being the only one who didn't have nightmares. He was also aware that he was the only one who ever seemed to be in a decent mood, so this was just as surprising to him as it was to Smokepaw. "Father took us off of the dawn patrol so we could go train with him and our mentors! Finally, after three moons of being stuck here doing chores!"

The light brown tom had his deep green eyes widened now at the shock of actually training to become a warrior for once. It was quiet for only a few moments as Nettlepaw gaped at his sister, who giggled once again at her brother's surprised and excited look.

"Yes!" Nettlepaw said then, jumping to his paws as he so eagerly shared his sisters excited expression that made Smokepaw smile with joy. Seeing both his friends like this was very rare, considering that most of the time they were either fighting or ignoring each other. "I'll finally be able to show you two up on the unbalancing trick again!" Pebblepaw nodded.

"And I'll finally be able to teach you both to look up when you're fighting!" Pebblepaw teased, happy that she'd be able to use the rearing drill as well as the Drop Down drill. Smokepaw continued smiling as he enjoyed the scene while it lasted.

"Smokepaw! Pebblepaw! Nettlepaw!" Spiderstorm called for them from outside the den. "Are you ready to leave yet?" Pebblepaw and Nettlepaw had frozen when they heard their father's voice, and as they listened, Smokepaw swore to StarClan that he could hear their hearts begin to race just a little bit faster.

Suddenly, they jumped foward, racing toward the thorn barrier as Smokepaw walked behind them, finding no reason to waste the very little amount of energy he had on darting foolishly over to his mentor like a six moon old apprentice. He was nearly a warrior, and therefore he would act like it.

_I just hope I don't fall on my face when I attempt some of the advanced moves... _Smokepaw thought.

The day couldn't have gone by slower to Smokepaw, because though they were doing something new and exciting, it was also painful, and by sunhigh, all of his muscles were screaming at him to stop, even more so than when he'd woken up that morning. They were not used to this work out, seeing as most of his days for the past three moons were filled with either hunting, patrolling, or cleaning out dens. None of that required as much effort as this did, which made the three apprentices gasping for breath by the time they could see the sun straight above them.

Luckily for Smokepaw, however, it was one of the cooler days of new-leaf, so it wasn't as hot outside like it had been in the earlier weeks of the season. This meant he was able to keep cold instead of burning as well as feeling the pain of his angry muscles. When he glanced over to Pebblepaw and Nettlepaw, he found that they seemed just as grateful for the unusual cold day.

Nettlepaw quickly stepped off of Graysand, his mentor, with a proud smile on his face. He'd just demonstrated what Spiderstorm, Graysand and Ravenshade all thought was the perfect unbalancing stratagy that the light brown apprentice had done flawlessly. Smokepaw had to say, it was very good, and because of Nettlepaw's nimble body, it would never be a problem to run away in battle. Not that the proud apprentice would do that, though.

"See, I _told _you I was the best," Nettlepaw boasted as he joined Pebblepaw and Smokepaw, who both shared amused expressions. The tall apprentice sat next to his sister, a grin on his face that showed his pride of being told to demonstrate. Smokepaw rolled his eyes before forcing them to land on Spiderstorm, who seemed to be getting ready to explain the next move they were going to do.

The tall black tom stood up, his sleek black fur shining under the sun above them. Smokepaw was quite proud to have the deputy as his mentor, because it was rare that one was trained by such ranks. And even though Spiderstorm sometimes expected too much of him, Smokepaw didn't mind. The gray apprentice's father _was _the previous leader after all.

When Smokepaw thought of this, his smile instantly vanished, bringing Pebblepaw's attention to him immediately. Remembering Ashstar, his father, made him remember the memories he'd tried so hard to forget that morning. In a single second, the full nightmare raced itself through Smokepaw's eyes before it vanished, allowing him to breath again.

Spiderstorm and the other mentors didn't notice, but Pebblepaw and Nettlepaw did. Both of them had their gazes rested upon him, a worried expression in their eyes as they tried to comfort Smokepaw without attracting Spiderstorm's attention. It was something they always did, for it was bad enough they were thinking about it. To have the warriors trying to comfort them was like having an irritating bee beside you all day.

"Are you three even listening?" asked Spiderstorm suddenly, forcing all three apprentices to look toward the strong deputy. He had a curious yet stern look on his face, as if frustrated that they weren't paying attention to his explanation.

The three apprentices quickly looked back to ThunderClan's deputy, having no interest in trying to explain the silent conversation they'd just been having. They all forced their attention on Spiderstorm, though Smokepaw's mind was still trying hard to fight the dreams that urged to reply in his mind.

"Sorry," Pebblepaw murmured quickly, speaking for all of them. "We were just talking about how much we'll need to do when we get back. You know, all of the chores that we've put off today." Smokepaw smiled as she lied to her father to save their tails. Nettlepaw seemed relieved too, as if he'd been expecting harsh words from the clan deputy.

Being the smarter of the three, Pebblepaw always got them out of trouble. She was good at creating excuses, let alone lying without being caught. It was a natural talent over hers that she used often so that the dreams and nightmares wouldn't come back. Because usually if they had missed a chore or forgot to go on a patrol, the warriors of the clan would be suspicious, and ask questions the three of them would rather not answer.

"Back to what I was saying. . ." said Spiderstorm after a wary glance and pause of silence. "I think it would be best if we brought something back to the clan. After all, only one of my hunting patrols has gone out and they might not have come back quite yet, so it would be best if we fed the elders before they get even grumpier than they already are." Nettlepaw sniggered at this, finding it quite hilarious that Spiderstrom admitted this. That was just like the deputy though - carefree and always shoving small jokes into his serious conversations so it wouldn't get too boring.

"I will make this into an assessment for you all, since you haven't had one in a long time," Spiderstorm continued, leaving the three apprentices to start listening with alert looks. Any 'assessment' at this point could be the deciding factor in if they were ready to become warriors or not, so they wanted to pay extra close attention.

"You will all go to different parts of the forest," Spiderstorm went on, smiling a bit as he saw that the apprentices were at his attention and his attention only. "Smokepaw will go toward the lake to see if the water voles and mice have gained their numbers, Pebblepaw will go toward the WindClan border where there should be some stray rabbits or some plump squirrels, and Nettlepaw should go toward the ShadowClan border to see if some black birds have returned or mice have come out from their nests. Each of us will switch off looking at you, so we can have different opinions on how you're doing in your training. Understand everything?" The three apprentices nodded before they stood and darted off in different directions.

. . .

Smokepaw quickly reached the edge of the forest, his sore muscles protesting every step of they way. He was good at ignoring pain, whether it be mental or physical, so this didn't bother him. It was irritating though, like an annoying ant that kept stinging him every few seconds.

The trees seemed to enjoy the new season, seeing as their bright green leaves shined brightly under the sun. After so many moons of being bare with snow, the trees seemed different to Smokepaw, because leaf-bare was literally all he knew. Even the lake seemed happy that everything had melted, and it was now full of wavy water and fish.

Smokepaw quickly got to work, his eyes scanning the short clearing as well as the edge of the forest. He did his best not to slip on the sharp pebbles that formed the lake's shore, because that would scare away every animal around the lake. His balance was quite good for his age, so he was as quiet as any warrior could be.

It was then that he spotted the young water vole munching on a golden nut it must have found in the forest. Smokepaw immediately went into a hunter's crouch, putting his tail low so that it wouldn't catch the vole's eye. The dark gray apprentice carefully placed his paws on the pebbles, thanking StarClan for his balancing abilities and his gray fur that easily blended in with the rocks beneath him.

The vole continued to chew at the nut, unaware of the danger around him. Smokepaw was focused, and he knew without question that there was an expression of serious concentration residing in his face. _Quickly and quietly, _Smokepaw repeated within in his head. _Quickly and quietly. . ._

After getting just a few tail-lengths away from his prey, Smokepaw carefully placed his hind paws underneath him as he tensed his muscles. His whiskers twitched as he got ready for the kill, and his claws unsheathed. He nearly rested his chest to the cold ground, his fur brushing up against the wet soggy dirt.

And then he pounced.

Smokepaw pushed his body with his powerful hind-legs into the air, not once taking his flame-colored eyes off of the vole. It noticed him only too late, and when he landed on it, there was no need for the killing blow. The hit from Smokepaw's paws had broken his neck, and it was now laying limply at his feet.

Smokepaw sighed as he saw this. Spiderstorm never liked him killing the fresh-kill like that. It was wrong for whatever reason in the ThunderClan deputy's mind, so that would probably mark his assessment down. However, he'd gotten something, so it was at least one achievement for the day.

For what seemed like moons, the dark gray apprentice continued searching for more prey. With new-leaf having just arrived, there wasn't much to search for, but in the end, he caught a stray squirrel and a small mouse along with his small vole. The squirrel had been easy, seeing as it was already wounded from something, but the mouse had been difficult, which had made his sore muscles nearly give out after such a long day.

Smokepaw was now quickly walking back toward the training grounds, carrying his squirrel and mouse. Adding the vole would be too much for him to carry, so he'd just dug up a hole for it and made a mental note to tell Spiderstorm where it was. After all, that was what a real warrior would do, because though carrying in three pieces of large prey would give you attention, dropping it in mud would not.

So Smokepaw walked alone, wondering how well Pebblepaw and Nettlepaw had done. Nettlepaw was definitely the better hunter out of the siblings, since he was much quicker and a lot more about thinking way ahead. Pebblepaw, however, was a good strategist in that when she saw the prey, she could easily think up a plan on how to reach it in a heart-beat. So both of them had good hunting qualities.

Smokepaw stopped suddenly as he decided to look around at his surroundings. It was familiar, as if he'd been here a hundred times before. He probably had been, but there was something different about it. A certain eeriness that made a shiver take over his body before he continued to try and figure out the puzzle. Where had he seen this before? What was it so important?

A few things went back to him, making his eyes widen. A panic started to overcome his mature composed body, and he started shaking. Smokepaw dropped his prey, unable to register what he was supposed to be doing at that moment because of the memories and nightmares flashing before his eyes. Except they weren't quick this time. They were slow. . .painful. . .miserable. . .

_"Smokepaw, help me!"_

_"Smokepaw, where are you?"_

_"It's not my fault! Blame Featherleaf, it's her who won't give us the right herbs!_

_"_You _did that?"_

_"How could you Smokepaw?"_

"I d-didn't!" Smokepaw cried aloud to the forest as if he was there in the nightmare. "I didn't mean to! I-it was a mistake!"

_"We're barely even apprentices!"_

_"Mother has already died. . .will we die too. . .?"_

"No, you won't!" Smokepaw yelled, though it turned into a scream because of the rising anger and fear that made his lungs work harder even though his body was frozen in his place. His breathing was raspy as he shook, a single tear falling from his face. "But you did. . .And it was my fault. . ."

The nightmares continued to play, though it was now time for the sorrow and grief, and Smokepaw knew it was coming to an end soon. However, he couldn't stop making the memories replay, over and over, forcing grief and regret as well as guilt and sorrow to push into him like a powerful gust of wind that wouldn't finish no matter how hard he tried.

"Smokepaw?" asked the familiar voice of his friend. This made him remember reality, which let him let out a relieved sigh, noticing that he'd been holding his breath nearly the entire time. Smokepaw tried to blink it at all away, but everything around him was an awful reminder. Pebblepaw's voice sounded into a gasp, and she had undoubtedly dropped her prey too, for her memories and nightmares lied right in the clearing, now haunting them both.

_"Smokepaw, help me!"_

_"Smokepaw, where are you?"_

Someone was coming near him. It wasn't from his nightmares, for no one wanted to be four mouse-lengths beside him in those horrid memories. It was Pebblepaw, and she was trying to help him. Smokepaw knew, but it wasn't clear in his head. There was too much going on - did she want to save him or blame him like everyone in the memories? He knew that Pebblepaw was his friend, but that was only a small voice in the back of his mind. The only thing he could think of were the dreams that never stopped.

_"_You _did that?"_

_"How could you Smokepaw?"_

Smokepaw felt a tear run down his face. It was only one, for he wouldn't let any others go, but it was enough to make him start shaking with mixed emotions that wouldn't stop. He felt warmth on his fur seconds later, making the shaking stop, yet also forcing him to tense with fear. The same questions went through his head instantly as she sat beside him. Did she blame him? Did she want to bring him back to reality? Did she want to hurt him?

"Smokepaw, it's okay, nothing was your fault," Pebblepaw told him, though her voice wavered from worry and fear. It was clear to him that she was fighting it, but he was envious of how she could push them away so quickly. Why couldn't he do that? How was it so easy to her yet so hard for him?

"But it was!" Smokepaw argued, his voice high pitched with fear, shock, and sadness. "It was. . .If I hadn't done it. . .they would have lived. . .everyone would have lived. . .But they didn't. . .All because of my stupid, foolish mistake. . ." He was looking at the ground now as the nightmares continued to run through his head.

_"We're barely even apprentices!"_

_"Mother has already died. . .will we die too. . .?"_

"No you won't!" Smokepaw screamed defiantly, narrowing his amber eyes that were now dull and cloudy with emotion. "You won't ever die! I promised you! I promised all of you. . ." A few more tears leaked through his eyes, and no matter how strong he was trying to be, he showed his sadness.

"Smokepaw. . .it's okay," Pebblepaw soothed, her voice louder and more firm this time, though there was still emotion that made it crack a bit. "It's okay. . .Nothing's going to happen. . .They're in a better place. . ." Smokepaw shook his head, unable to believe this as the nightmares restarted cruely.

"Because of me!" Smokepaw screamed, releasing a few more tears. "Because of me. . ." There was a few moments of silence as Smokepaw relived several moments of pain, and though he knew Pebblepaw was still trying to help him get back to reality, there was a hint of doubt in his mind, telling him that she had given up and had left him there to suffer.

"Don't think of the bad things," Pebblepaw whispered then, her voice now confident and soft again. It was gentle. . .smooth. . .relaxing. . . "Don't think of the nightmares. Think of the good things. Remember the other memories of this place." She giggled a bit as she continued. "Remember when Icepaw tripped on a root right over there? When she had just caught a mouse, but had let it go because of the fall? We laughed over that for moons!" Smokepaw's breathing became just a small amount slower as he remembered it.

Icepaw had dripped over a large root that had been sticking out of the ground, and then she dropped her prey. She whined about it for the rest of the day while the rest the apprentices laughed. It was more of a friendly laugh, and therefore it wasn't rude to Icepaw. She laughed along with them at the gathering the next day when they told the rest of the clans apprentices. It was such a good memory.

Smokepaw's dreams began to fade, but they were still there. He was now paying more attention to Pebblepaw, though, waiting anxiously for the next memory she gave him. If he could just get one more that was powerful enough to drive away what he was thinking about, he would be fine.

"Remember Lilypaw and Stormpaw when they fell in the cold water the first day of their apprenticeship? You were so worried about them until their mother told you they would be fine. Then you just laughed at their drenched states and Lilypaw's cotton-like fur. It was so funny! They always glared at you when you held back your laughs the best you could, but it was just how you guys played with each other. I found it odd, but it was okay, because you guys were all odd to me and Nettlepaw and - and Shadepaw." Pebblepaw finished with her voice becoming a bit sad. Smokepaw, however, was beginning to make the nightmares just a mist of his thoughts.

He remembered Lilypaw and Stormpaw. Both had come back from their patrol soaking wet, shivering, and freezing cold. Smokepaw had been worried, he remembered, and though he was probably way too upset, at that time he didn't care. All he wanted was for Lilypaw and Stormpaw to be okay again. When their mother had told him that they just needed to dry off and rest, he'd felt much better, and when they awoke the next day, he did in fact laugh about Lilypaw's fluffy fur. It was so funny, how could he not?

Smokepaw smiled after this, noticing that his dreams had gone, and he was alone with Pebblepaw right in front of him, her eyes hopeful, though emotional. His eyes were still clouded with the emotion of sorrow and happiness, but either way, the nightmares were gone. Forever lost in the back of his brain until he was to go back to sleep. But at least then Pebblepaw and the rest of the warriors didn't need to see him.

Pebblepaw sighed with relief, looking extremely happy that he was okay again. Smokepaw quickly caught a look of sadness in her eyes though, making him frown slightly. She was still remembering, and like that morning, she needed a distraction. Without thinking for very long, Smokepaw thought of one quickly.

"Thank you, Pebblepaw," Smokepaw told her, making her eyes not only widen, but clear out the cloudy emotions as well. This was because Smokepaw _never _thanked anyone unless it was for a good reason, which today, it was. "Thank you for distracting me from the dreams." Now Pebblepaw's eyes showed the emotion of embarrassment, suddenly speechless and unable to find out what she could say. She obviously wasn't expecting the thanks, and now that she received it she seemed. . .confused.

"Y-your welcome, Smokepaw," Pebblepaw said quickly, still trying to tell herself that she was actually thanked by Smokepaw. "It wasn't really much, but I'm glad it helped."

"Are you mouse-brained? That helped me more than anything ever could!" Smokepaw told her, which he could see distracted her a lot more than what he'd said before. "Making me remember the good things about them instead of the bad. . .that was brilliant!" She blushed even more, looking at her paws as she said that.

Smokepaw watched her with happiness. Neither of them were thinking of the dreams any longer, and both of them had helped each other. This made Smokepaw hopeful that maybe one day, he'd have enough happy memories to banish the nightmare forever, so that a night in the future will be full of normal dreams.

It was at that point that he remembered that they were on a hunting assessment, but he was too slow to tell Pebblepaw. Spiderstorm and the others were emerging from the shadows, cautiously coming toward the two apprentices in the clearing. Smokepaw's eyes looked up from Pebblepaw to land on his mentor, who looked both fearful, as well as irritated.

"It's not like we're going to come out and eat you," Smokepaw said, making Spiderstorm and the others flinch. "We're fine. Actually, we were just going to take this prey back when we ran into each other on mistake. They prey isn't damaged, but we were both quite shaken." Smokepaw lied because he knew how Spiderstorm would react if he told the truth. This was actually believable, and it saved them from having to explain.

Nettlepaw emerged then, carrying a squirrel and a large mouse. He held his head high until he saw his sister with Smokepaw. Confused yet frightened, the light brown apprentice set down his prey and quickly tried to figure out what was going on by waiting for the next part of the conversation.

"Why are you lying to me?" asked Spiderstorm, his eyes narrowed with suspicion. Smokepaw tensed, and he noticed that Pebblepaw did too. "We've been watching you for a long time, Smokepaw. Why lie about what just happened when you could tell me the truth?" Smokepaw's eyes were now narrowed with anger, his tail lashing a bit after Spiderstorm had finished.

"Would you tell the truth about that if you were in our paws?" Smokepaw shot back, standing as he defended Pebblepaw and himself. Spiderstorm's whiskers twitched as he thought about the question. Smokepaw wasn't trying to be angry, but Spiderstorm was missing the obvious.

"Warriors should never lie," Spiderstorm told Smokepaw simply. "Not even in this situation."

"Yeah, well _normal _warriors didn't have to go through what we did," Smokepaw hissed, his fur bristling now. "Can't you see that your own daughter has to fight to go on everyday? Normal warriors don't have to do that. Can't you see that your own daughter has to relive those moments every single moment of the day? Normal warriors forget. Can't you give us some slack?" Smokepaw was careful to use Pebblepaw, but it was one of the only things to make Spiderstorm listen.

"To be a warrior, you must never give up or get slower," Spiderstorm said, making Smokepaw growl lowly. "To be a warrior, you have to go through whatever pain must come across your path." Smokepaw stared into Spiderstorm's eyes, trying to see what really lied there. Was the deputy trying to make him mad, or was he just trying to hide something else?

"I don't -"

"Smokepaw, stop," Pebblepaw said suddenly, cutting him off. Curiously, he watched as the tortoiseshell apprentice turned around to face her father, her blue eyes narrowed with determination. "Father, we are sorry. We didn't mean to keep the clan waiting." Smokepaw wanted so bad to argue with her, stating that it was Spiderstorm who needed to apologize, but the ThunderClan deputy spoke first.

"Thank you, Pebblepaw, for seeing your mistake even when Smokepaw didn't," said Spiderstorm, though he didn't smile, making Smokepaw narrow his eyes tighter. Even more as the deputy looked into his eyes. "At least one of you is strong enough to admit your weaknesses." Smokepaw growled louder, making Pebblepaw tense with worry. He calmed down as he saw this, having no intention on making her upset. He looked back to the ThunderClan deputy, trying hard not tle let his anger get the best of him.

"Yeah, at least _one _of us." Smokepaw growled, standing still as he watched Spiderstorm carefully. There was a flicker of fury, but the deputy managed to mask it enough to stay composed, which made Smokepaw disappointed. Spiderstorm only wasted a few heart-beats after that, finding no need to carry on the argument.

"Go get your prey so we can take it back to camp," Spiderstorm ordered. "The queens and elders have waited long enough." And with that, the brave deputy left, and everyone but Pebblepaw and Smokepaw followed after him.

The dark gray warrior growled lowly as he walked over to his prey, frustration burning in his flame-colored eyes. He was so mad that Spiderstorm didn't see that he and Pebblepaw couldn't just recover from something like that. It was impossible, yet the deputy thought he could just push them around. What happened to carefree and fair?

"Thank you, Smokepaw," came Pebblepaw's voice suddenly, making him turn around and look at her in confusion. Her eyes showed her thankfulness, and her gratitude toward him. "Thank you for distracting me." The tortoiseshell apprentice picked up her prey after that and followed her father's scent, disappearing into the shadows. Smokepaw stared after her, a little confused still as to why Pebblepaw had said that.

He smiled after realizing that it was just a thankful gesture that made them even. It made him believe that not _all _things were bad, and it reminded him once again that all he had to do was think of the good things. Smokepaw picked up his prey after that and quickly caught up with Pebblepaw. They walked beside each other back to camp, both thinking deeply about what had happened earlier.


	12. Six Ways To Write Part 1

We are believed to be created by the Place Of No Stars. We are believed to be the enemy of all cats. We are believed to be only evil beings. All because we have wings.

My father wants revenge, and he will get it. Along with our flock, he will destroy the cats, and everything along with it. As his son, he expects me to follow in his paw steps. As his son, he expects me to carry on his deeds.

So how can I tell him that I'm in love with the Princess of the Cats of the Storms?

This is **the 100 word Drabble** from** Six Styles Challenge **from the** Warriors Challenge Forum.**


	13. Six Ways To Write Part 2

I stare at the black furred tom with dark blue narrowed eyes, hatred flashing through my expression as everyone looks to me. I know that they are fearing my expressions, and I know that they are cautiously trying to make the apprentice in front of me walk away.

However, Nightpaw will never move, because he's got me cornered, and he knows it. He wants me to go literally go insane, bringing Snakestar to be forced to take me to Thistlemoon, who will probably kill me next gathering. I know this. But I can't stop myself, because it's literally impossible.

"I didn't here your answer, Demonpaw," Nightpaw says with an annoying smirk on his face. "Hmm. . .maybe I should ask again. What _really _happened with Barkpaw at the gathering? I know he told you. So is it that hard to answer?" I shake in my spot as more and more apprentices gather. I don't know what to do because I'm risking Barkpaw's life if I answer, and mine if I don't.

"I-I'm not one to ask," I answer, hoping that will be good enough for the slender black tom. A little voice in my head says otherwise, though, and it scares me. "That's Barkpaw's privacy, and he made me swear not to tell anyone." I don't want to sound weak, but I know that that ship has already sailed.

The black apprentice laughs, and others follow along with him. He is the bully of the playground, because he's scary. One of the best fighters, and hunters, and he's smart. He knows how to use his words. Which is why Nightpaw is bossing me around: I cannot control my emotions.

"Oh, so now you're taking orders from that loner?" asks Nightpaw, pushing me even further. "Well, I guess it suits you, seeing as you're only half-clan born."

I hiss with fury, my tail lashing as he accused me of such a thing. Around here, being half-clan is like being a mouse. You better get out of the way before you get eaten. We're allowed to live, but it's only just. In fact, the only reason I'm alive is because Mudpaw, the WindClan medicine cat apprentice, had gotten in the way of my execution that had been planned since my mother showed signs of having kits. Horrible, really, but we dealt with it because we'd lost the first war and were in no position to start another.

"You're a half-clan too, you know!" I growl, making the black apprentice frown. "And if it weren't for my father, you'd be dead! You, Duskpaw, and Snowpaw! And at least _my _father is a hero! Yours is just a big bully exactly like you!" Nightpaw hisses next, his icy blue eyes narrowed. I flinch, because I know how rough he can be, but I relax when I find that he decides not to attack.

"My father leads a brilliant hunting Clan that will forever be strong thanks to his leadership," Nightpaw says, standing tall and proud as his icy blue eyes seem to claw at my gray and white pelt. "Your father, on the other paw, is dead, killed by our leader, Thistlemoon, and will forever be remembered as the insane mouse-brain with a crazy other side who _attempted _to win the war, but failed. And you, sweet Demonpaw, seemed to have inherited much of that stupidity and insanity." There were a few murmurs behind me, and whispers in front of me.

Everyone knew of my father, Smokeheart. How could they forget? He was the one with the star-shaped scar, that when scratched he became insane. He was the one who killed Darkstar because of that insanity, and then became exiled as well. He was the one who returned, finally being able to control the insanity. He was the one who was deputy of ShadowClan, leading a full out war between RiverClan and WindClan, as well as ThunderClan and ShadowClan. He was the one who had the courage to fight Thistlemoon, and nearly win. And he was the one who lost his memories before dying in front of all of ThunderClan.

There was much more my father did, but no one ever seemed to see him for the things he did _right. _It was always, 'look, there's Demonpaw. Doesn't she look so much like her father when he went insane?' or 'She looks so much like Jactur! I wonder why Thistlemoon hasn't killed her yet'. They didn't seem to understand that I could hear them, or that Smokeheart was much more than a murderer.

"Now, since you still haven't answered my question, I will ask again," Nightpaw says, forcing me back to reality. "What happened to Barkpaw at the gathering last night?" I stiffen as Nightpaw asks again, because the truth hurts much more than the lie I keep telling everyone.

Barkpaw is my uncle, though no one but me, Palepaw, and Jaysong, my mother, know that. The reason nobody likes him is because he has the same power as my father, except his was controlled much earlier, and it goes off of justice, not insanity. He is an elder apprentice, so I still get to see him. However, after the gathering last night, everyone has been keeping a close eye on him.

You see, even though Barkpaw's power is controlled and he can use it whenever he wants, it could still lash out if he's under a lot of stress. So he's always watched closely, but after the last gathering, he isn't left alone with less than two mentors or apprentices.

All because Barkpaw had just suddenly went out of control, whispering things none of us could understand. I was right there, and I knew what was happening, and so I stopped it. I'm not entirely sure _how _I did it, but I don't honestly care because I saved Barkpaw's by keeping it a secret that he'd accidentally lost control.

So, here I am, standing in front of Nightpaw as he teases me into insanity, just getting me angry enough to blurt out what happened at the gathering. That would result in two things: Barkpaw's death, and my execution, because when I go insane, I literally go insane, and I'm too much like my father to be trusted after something like that.

"I'm waiting," Nightpaw taunts as I find that he is now sitting with that irritating smirk on his face. Oh what I'd give to just claw off his face, leaving nothing but scars so that the next time he decides to pick on someone younger than him, he would remember what I did to him.

But no, that would be bad. I calm myself down by breathing in, and out, before sitting down, just like him. My dark blue eyes are narrowing onto him as a scowl overtakes my worried expression. I repeat gently in my head to continue to just stare forward, telling him nothing that he doesn't already know.

"Oh, so you don't want to talk?" asks Nightpaw in a voice that provokes my fury. "But we all want to know. Poor Barkpaw is still suffering from grief, is that it? You know we don't believe it. No one does. We just go along with it, hoping you'll burst." I tense as I listen, but again, I stay still. I don't want to blurt out the secret, and I don't want to be insane.

"I've heard the stories, Demonpaw, of how you were named," Nightpaw continues, his voice becoming even more irritating. "'The demon' was what the insanity within your father was called, was it not? And because you look so much like your crazy mouse-brain father, Thistlemoon named you after him, still having no idea what the word actually means. I'm beginning to wonder. . .does it mean to be insane? Does it mean to be a killer? Does it even mean to be a weakling?" I tense even harder, remembering the story from my mother's mouth of how I was named. She knew what it meant, and so did I, but if he said it aloud. . .

"What an awful name, isn't it?" Nightpaw drags on, making my breathing slow and raspy as I try to hold back the boiling anger within me. "After a twolegs word, is it not? It goes to prove your blood, and how your father picked it up, seeing as he was a loner. It also shows that you are exactly as murderous and stupid as he was as well." I wouldn't be able to talk if I want to at this point. I am thinking of so many things, but the thought that keeps coming up is, 'how does he know so much?' All of this was to be kept secret. So how did this annoying black apprentice know?

"And now you've got the name that means 'monster', and the only thing keeping you sane is your brother, who could die at any moment," says Nightpaw, his smile making my anger flare as he sits there like he was having a pleasant conversation. "Ah, poor Palepaw. . .the unfortunate kit who is nothing but your brother. Not even that anymore. At least you are recognized. At least you're are known as the 'insane' apprentice, and your name will never be forgotten. But poor Palepaw has to live in the shadow of his sister, smiling on the outside, yet planning his revenge on the inside, just waiting for his inherited monster to come out." My eyes widen as Nightpaw finishes. I can't believe what he's saying. I can't accept it!

"No!" I yell without thinking. "Palepaw would never think that! And he's normal! He loves me, and he always will! He has no need for revenge!" My yells make Nightpaw smile with pleasure as he sits in front of me, just waiting for me to attack.

"Oh, so you don't see it?" asks Nightpaw, making me stand. My eyes narrow as my gaze sets on him, and now we are locked into a death stare that I hope will end soon. "Your brother hates you, Demonpaw. He hates what you can become, and how much of the attention you steal. If you cannot see that, then you are a mouse-brain, just like your father. If you cannot see his pain, then you are cruel. How could you put him through so much? How could you force him into your world of insanity?" My breathing is quick as I feel my tail lash. I am angry, and he knows it.

"Palepaw understands!" I hissed, my teeth baring. "Palepaw knows me. . .He wouldn't want to hurt me. . .He never wants to hurt me. . ." Nightpaw scoffs, his smile turning into a grin as he notices my unmistakable mental pain.

"More like he _can't _hurt you," Nightpaw taunts me. "That wimp would never actually kill someone, especially not his sister, who deserves it most. He's so tiny, and though he's taller than Duskpaw, he's smaller on the inside. Barely able to hunt, horrible at fighting, and very, very weak when it comes to being teased. I congratulate you, Demonpaw, at making him that way. Even _I _am not capable of creating that." I am now shaking with fear, my eyes watering up with tears as I stare at him.

"No!" I yell again. "Palepaw is not weak! He is stronger and kinder than you are, and I will take full credit for that, but that would be wrong, because he is himself, and nothing else! He is a strong apprentice, and he will become a great mentor one day! He's not a cruel, vengeful, killer that you make him out to be!" Nightpaw's smile returns, and this time it is smoother and more calming.

"Then why hasn't he come to help?" asks Nightpaw.

My eyes immediately widen more as I realize how true it was. Palepaw is always there to help me. . .where is he right now? I look around frantically for my brother's pale gray fur, but I don't find it. I begin to wonder if what Nightpaw says is true. I begin to wonder if I really did make my brother hate me.

The apprentices and mentors around me whisper as I look, and I know that if they find him, they would whisper even louder and look in his direction. But they don't find him, and I am lost. I don't know what to do or to say. It's so complex, and as Nightpaw sits in front of me, smiling with pleasure, I become very confused.

With the mixing emotions swirling around in my head, I begin to shake even harder. The anger rises, and my dark blue eyes become narrowed. I look at Nightpaw with fury flashing through my eyes, and before I know what I'm doing, I lunge at him.

My claws unsheathe, my teeth open wide, and my fur sways as I fly toward him. I push the black tom into the ground and find that I've taken all of the breath out of him. I have him on the ground, and in pure fury I dig my claws into his fur. His smile is still visible to me, making me growl.

I want to kill him. I want to hurt him. I want to _slaughter _him. He said so many things. . .he hurt me! Palepaw is my brother. . . Palepaw is the one who protects me. . .Palepaw is not out for revenge. . .Palepaw is innocent!

I cannot control myself after that. My teeth go down into his neck, making his irritating blue eyes widen with fear. He is surprised that I'm going this far. And he doesn't know what's coming next. I bite down harder, clawing at his perfect black fur, ripping it off strip by strip. I feel the warm blood in my mouth, and it makes me gag, but I continue. After this point, I cannot stop, because the confusion and insanity has taken over.

In just a few moments, Nightpaw lays still, motionless as far as I can tell. Sticky blood stains my paw as I slowly step of the black apprentice, my eyes widening at the sight of him. The insanity and confusion vanishes, and now I clearly see what I did. And only one thought comes to my head.

_I'm a killer now._

_**A/N: I Do Not Own Warriors.**_

**This is from the Warriors Challenge Forum. The Challenge is to write Six different ways each day, and today I had to write in the point of vew I have most trouble with, which is **_Present Tense First Person._ **I don't know about you, but think I didn't do real well on this. What do you think about it? =)**


	14. Six Ways To Write Part 3

_You are Haunted. Stalked. Followed. _

The group of cats walked up to the border line, where they had been told to go if they were to find territory. They looked at it, happy of how innocent it looked. Everything seemed peaceful, and the prey seemed thick this leaf-fall. It seemed so perfect, and being so far away from the rogues meant no fights.

_Dangerous. Evil. Monstrous._

The autumn trees were bright with the sun setting in the distant horizon. Rays created long shadows to fall behind the tall oak and pine trees, but it was a friendly shadow, not to be feared whatsoever. The sun was so bright, so large, and with it the group of cats knew that herbs would grow easily.

_Run. Hide. Leave. _

Golden leaves littered the ground, being sparkled with brown, ginger, and green leaves that shined in the sunset that was upon them. The young ones had rushed into the small piles and where kicking up all of them, creating a rainstorm of pretty glittering leaves.

_It's hiding. It's waiting. It's lurking._

The hills seemed to go on forever, and with each one came a number of trees, shelter, and prey. Everything seemed to stretch for miles, and the warm air with the light breeze made the leaf-fall tolerable, which was much to say since from where they come from, each leaf-fall and leaf-bare brought snow and death.

_So innocent. So ignorant. So unaware._

The group of cats continued walking, finding countless amount of streams and dry yellow grass that also glittered in the setting sun. Hunting took only moments, even with the number they had. As they walked, they past many more oak and pine trees, creating shade and shadows.

_You're finished. You're done for. You're not going to make it._

They found a large clearing that had no grass, yet there was a large rock, and many ferns. The clan quickly gathered bramble bushes that were scattered throughout the territory and put them between the trees, surrounding them in the new-found camp. A golden tom, the leader, looked at his clan with pride.

_Do not get comfortable. Do not get settled. Do not stay._

They made many preparations. By the time they were done, they had many dens, all made of bramble and chewed up marigold leaves to hold it together. There was the leaders den, which was nearest to the high rock that was on top left corner, and the elders den that was right beside it. The nursery and apprentice den were side by side on the bottom right corner while the large warriors den was on the top right corner. Medicine den was in the bottom left corner, and it was safely hidden away in case they were attacked.

_Foolish. Idiotic. Dumb._

That night, many ceremonies were given to those who needed it. Firepaw got her warrior name, which was now Fireflash, and Shadeheart was to become deputy. It was such a good night, for many cats stayed up, whispering about how good it was going to be now. No more rogues, no more clans. It was perfect!

_Death. Killings. Murder. _

When all was quiet, and every cat was finally asleep, their leader, Flamestar curled up in his den, a happy smile on his face. After so many moons of being in those horrid clans. After so many moons of being in their grasp. After so many moons of being picked off one by one, they were safe.

_You will die. You will lose. You won't survive._

Little did anyone know, that deep in the forest lay a horrifying monster that would wake in just a few moments time. They wouldn't have time to attack. They wouldn't have time to defeat it. They were going to die, every last one of them, and join the other ten clans that they monster had already defeated.


	15. Six Ways To Write Part 4

"_Don't forget who I am, Shadefrost, don't forget me!" _

"I won't! I promised! I won't every forget you!"

"_But you have. . .you don't remember me. . .you don't remember what I've done. . ."_

"I do remember! I haven't ever forgotten! You were the best sister I could ever have!"

"_You've forgotten what I did for you, and have lost yourself in the pride of becoming a deputy."_

"I've never forgotten! I remember clearly! You—"

"_You'll never truly remember. Not until you lose that arrogant smile. Not until you lose that smug look. Not until you look to those who actually care about you, not those pretty she-cats who fall for your stupidity."_

"Fireblossom. . .I don't know what you're talking about!"

"_You know very well what I'm talking about. You know perfectly. Yet you use my sacrifice in vain, and I. . .I won't stand for it!"_

"What do you mean? What are you going to do?"

"_I'm not going to let you receive your nine lives, and I'm not going to let you become a leader until you've realized how mouse-brained you've been, and how much you've forgotten of me."_

"You can't do that! StarClan won't agree! Besides, I have a_ clan _to look after!"

"_Actually, StarClan agreed with me right after I finished explaining to them of what I wanted. Your nine lives won't be granted, not until you realize your deeds."_

"But I've done nothing wrong!"

"_You will now return to the moonpool, and remember, until you recive your honor, you will never become a true leader."_

"No! This isn't fair! I'm innocent—I haven't done anything wrong! You can't do this!"

"_Good-bye, brother. I hope you remember my death, my love, and my life. I really wish you could remember." _

"_Good-bye."_


	16. Six Ways To Write Part 5

I feel hopeless. I feel helpless.

I don't care about the pain, and I disregard the rain

I only look to you, I only care about you.

Your blinding golden coat, that leaves me a sore throat

Your icy blue eyes that leave me to abide

And your simple smile that leaves me sitting for awhile

I can't see that right now.

I only notice that you're eyes have grown dark, and that they no longer share that spark

They are clouded with sadness, so why are you putting me through this?

You mercilessly betrayed me, you cunningly deceived me, you me back to reality

Why did you end our happiness? Is it because you are the Princess?

I'm a Prince, so? Who cares? I'm a Volan, so why'd you take the dare?

You fell to the powerless, and in turn have sentenced me to darkness.

You fell to your sire and in turn have ruined what I desired

I thought you loved me. I thought you cared for me.

As I now know, you loved the rogue

As I know realize, you loved the lie

Now that you've found out of who I am, you are scared of the blame

Now that you've found out of where I came from, you are scared of the sum

And so I will die in this Hell that you've put me through,

And I will never forget the love that came so gratefully from you


	17. Six Ways To Write Part 6

_**Don't read if Follower of the Servant's Promise!**_

I remember everything. I remember our past. I remember it all. The nightmare, the one that seems so unreal, yet it was the truth. Our father killed, and so did we. It was such a horrible fate, and it was such a horrible memory. I regret every part of it, and how I forced you into that war.

I wish I could go back into the past, and erase our memory, so we wouldn't know about our father, and I didn't feel like I wanted—no, _needed—t_o redeem our father's name. I wish that I could go back to the day it was just so simple. Being two moons old. . .it was so easy. If we could go back, it would spare the pain we both feel now. It would force it to vanish, and we would never have to remember.

We've changed, now, brother. We're not the same. We aren't the kits of just Jaysong, and we aren't just young silly apprentices who don't know anything either. We've changed into something darker, into something sinful. And it's because of me that you transformed. It was my fault.

You won't ever see me as something you must protect, and I'll never look to you for advice. You won't ever see me as your hot-headed sister, and I won't ever think of you as my boring brother. Things will never be the same as it was back then, because now I only think of you as an old cat who knows everything, and you only think of me as an insane killer who will destroy anything who gets in my way.

We were so ignorant, so stupid, so foolish. We thought that everything was perfect, that just because everyone hated us didn't mean we could turn away. So idiotic. . .but our past made us strong. When I excelled at hunting, you were jealous, but you were strong and became a wondrous guard. When I realized that it was me who made you so quiet, I tried to fix you. And when we were told of our father and what he did, we didn't detest him, we fought for him.

My brother, you don't have to carry everyone's dislike for us alone. I carry it too, and when Nightpaw teases you, I will fight him, I don't care how much trouble I get into. After all, you were the one who humiliated Snowpaw for telling me I was an insane lunatic, remember?

We've searched and searched for an answer to this madness. We've reached for an answer of why you can remember events that happened before our birth, and for the answer of why I can become insane under extreme circumstances. We've been searching for at least four seasons, if not more. So long. . .

These answers aren't free. We won't gain them by simply asking StarClan, who have so mercilessly given up on these clans. We can't ask the elders, because even they don't even know, and if word got out of our oddness, we would surely be executed. We can only find them by continuing to look, right?

Now you're dead, your life taken back to StarClan where it began in the first place. You weren't just my brother, you were the life of a brave leader as well. And when you found this out, they took you away from me. When I found out that my insanity is genetic somehow, they just took away my ability to become anything important. They didn't kill me as they did you.

Brother, I will give anything—my body, my heart, my life, my _soul—_to bring you back. There isn't one thing that I love more than you, so there isn't one thing that I wouldn't give. I promise, and you know the story of our father. I won't break this promise, not ever.

I promise I will give everything I have to bring your soul back to me, so that you can endlessly help me lead this war with our uncle, so that one day, Thistlemoon will die. I promise, brother, that I will even die to let you return here in ThunderClan where you belong.

I'll go back to ThunderClan, where those killers sleep in their dens, waiting for our father or the Volans to return. I'll go back to ShadowClan and become a mentor, or even become down graded into an apprentice, and allow them to strip me of my name! StarClan, I'd go back to WindClan and become a kit if I have to!

All of this to not only bring you back, but to make amends with StarClan, who probably hate me for sinning so horribly. For forcing you back to your body, just because I wanted you to help me on my quest to find answers. I will find a way to wash my soul clean, though with all of this crimson blood staining it, all of this will be hard.

All of this to see your smiling face again, just like when we were kits. When you would beat me at every hunting crouch out there, and when you kindly told me how to do it all correctly. When you decided never to leave me alone again that one night, and when we first stepped out of the den to see the world. I want to see that smile, and I will do anything for it.

After I get you back down here on earth, and after you go back to your guard duties. After I wash away my sin, and after you forgive me again, we will be whole, and we will be together. I don't care how boring being a guard is, I will never lose you again.

Life will go back to normal—no more plots of rebellion against Thistlemoon, no more helping Barkpaw and his very unfair way of winning this second war, no more narrowly escaping with our lives, along with a little help of our friends, and no more insanity and leader spirit. It will be the same.

Together, we'll make sure that everyone will regret cheering at the sight of your cold body! Together, we'll make sure everyone of them hurts to the end of the earth! Together, we'll redeem that day, and make it whole again. We'll make sure they remember our strength, our power, and your wisdom.

Yes, Palefall. We will win this war of reality and nightmares. We will win this constant struggle of envy and hate. We will defeat the shadows, and become happy again. I don't care how long it will take—it's my wish, and you know that I will _always _get what I want.

_Always._

_**Song - Nothing I won't Give By Vic Mingnogna**_


End file.
